THE  LIBRARY 

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LIFE  AND  LETTERS 


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WHO    WAS   THE 


PIONEER  MISSIONARY 


jK-i^'evoeiaie  (SvefoiMiiecl  ©liui^c'li,  SoAiili 


AND  SERVED  NEARLY  SEVEN  YEARS. 


COMPILED   BY 


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LOUISVILLE,   GA. 
1882. 


Printed  by 

Myers,  Shinkle  &  Co.,  145  Wood  Street, 

Pittsburgh,  Pa. 


INDEX.     G'ZylanZ, 


Preface, 5 

Chapter  I. — Early  Life  ;  School  Days,         ....  7 

Chapter  II. — Conversion ;  Life  as  a  Teacher,  .        .        .19 

Chapter  III. — Becomes  a  Missionary,  ....         33 

Chapter  IV. — The  Voyage, 43 

Chapter  V. — Across  the  Continent, 62 

Chapter  VI. — Over  the  Mediterranean, 70 

Chapter  VII. — Arrival  at  Alexandria ;  First  Impression.s,  82 
Chapter  VIII. — Kamle ;  Mission  Sanitarium,         .         .         .  102 

Chapter  IX. — Arabic  Language, 107 

Chapter  X. — Cairo  and  its  Environs, 114 

Chapter  XL — Asyoot  and  its  Schools,  ....      128 

Chapter  XII. — Dore's  Gallery ;  London,        ....  135 

Chapter  XIII. — Life  in  Mansoora, 140 

Chapter  XIV. — Ascent  of  the  Great  Pyramid,  .  .  .  152 
Chapter  XV. — Theory  of  Pyramidal  Construction,  .  .  159 
Chapter  XVL— The  Coliseum ;  St.  Peter's,  .  .  .  .174 
Chapter  XVII. — Mrs.  Giffen's  Marriage,  ....  183 
Chapter  XVIII.—"  Banner  Girl";  Turkish  Harem,  ..  .187 
Chapter  XIX. — Commencement  Day  at  Asyoot,  .         .       194 

Chapter  XX. — Eastern  Customs  and  Manners,  .  .  .  203 
Chapter  XXI. — Letter  to  Ladies'  Benevolent  Society,         .       212 

Chapter  XXII. — Ahmed's  Conversion, 216 

Chapter  XXIII. — Pleat,  its  intensity  ;  Ophtlialmia,    .         .       236 
Chapter  XXIV. — Her  Father's  Death  ;  Lulu's  Sickness,        .  247 
Chapter  XXV. — Asyoot  College  negotiations ;  Present  pros- 
pects,      250 

Chapter  XXVI. — Extreme  Illness  ;   -lourney  to  Italy  ;  Pom- 
peii ;  Return  to  Egypt, 257 

Chapter  XXVII. — Death;  Burial;  Resting-place;  Summary 

of  cbaracter,  a.s  a  Woman,  Wife,  Mother,  and  Missionary,  277 
Sonnets, 293 


PREFACE. 


MANY  of  the  letters  Avhich  have  found  a  place  in  this 
volume  first  appeared  in  the  Associate  Reformed 
Presbyterian,  yet  many  others  will  be  found  which  have 
not  heretofore  been  submitted  to  the  public. 

The  principal  difficulty  encountered  in  the  preparation 
of  this  volume  was  that  of  selection  and  condensation. 
The  published  letters  alone,  of  Mrs.  Giffen's  would  have 
made  half-a-dozen  volumes  the  size  of  this.  In  some  of  the 
chapters  the  contents  are  made  up  of  selections  from  half 
a  score  of  letters,  written  at  as  many  different  times.  In 
itself  this  was  not  desirable,  but  the  limits  of  the  present 
work  demanded  it.  For  this  reason  many  letters  of  as 
great  merit,  and  just  as  deserving  of  perpetuity  as  any 
herein  contained,  have  been  omitted. 

It  is  greatly  to  be  regretted  that  Mrs.  Giffen  kejjt  no  diary. 
In  such  a  biograjihy  as  this,  leaves  from  the  diary  usually 
fill  no  unimportant  part  and  are»  of  absorbing  interest. 
Deservedly  so.  But  if  the  information  to  be  gained  from 
the  pages  of  a  diary  could  be  dispensed  with  in  any  case, 
Ave  think  the  j^resent  a  case  in  point.  Her  letters  are  so 
frank  and  unreserved  in  their  style,  and  so  clearly  mirror 
her  every  thought  and  feeling,  that  the  Avant  of  a  diary  Avill 
not  be  A'erv  sensil^lv  felt. 


b  PREFACE. 

In  assigning  the  writer  the  preparation  of  this  Memoir, 
the  leaders  of  the  church  desired  thereby  to  stimulate  and 
perpetuate  in  the  church  the  spirit  of  missions,  so  signally 
illustrated  in  Mrs.  Giffen.  Perhaps  it  was  also  their  fond 
hope  that  Mrs.  Giffen's  mantle  might  fall  upon  the  shoul- 
ders of  some  of  the  living. 

Louisville,  Ga., 

April  2Zrd,  1882. 


LIFE  AND  LETTERS 


OP 


Mrs.  Mary  Galloway  Giffek. 


CHAPTER    I. 

BIRTH  AND  CHILDHOOD — DEVELOPMENT  OF  YOUTHFUL 
CHARACTER — SCHOOL  DAYS — AMBITION  AS  A  PUPIL — 
GRADUATION. 


MRS.  Mary  Galloway  Giffen  was  born  in  Newberry 
county,  S.  C,  December  the  8th,  1842.  She  was  the  sec- 
ond daughter  of  Rev.  Jonathan  and  Mrs.  Martha  Sjieer  Gal- 
loway. At  the  time  of  her  birth  her  father  was  pastor  of  all 
the  Associate  Reformed  churches  in  the  county  of  Newberry, 
and  so  remained  for  fifteen  years.  In  consequence  of  the 
failure  of  his  health  he  gave  up  his  pastoral  charge.  Lov- 
ing his  work  as  he  did,  with  all  his  heart  and  soul,  his  forced 
retirement  from  the  active  work  of  the  ministry  brought 
him  many  a  heart  pang.  The  rest  of  his  life  he  devoted 
to  the  education  and  the  religious  training  of  his  children. 
He  lived  long  enough  to  see  them  all  complete  their  edu- 
cation and  become  with  him  members  of  the  church  on 
earth. 

It  is  usually  true  that  those  characteristics  which  distin- 
guish one  in  mature  life,  are  seen  in  their  dawning,  in  the 
first  years  of  life.     This  was  true  of  Mrs.  Giffen.     Those 

B 


8  LIFE   AND    LETTERS   OF 

cliaracteristics  which  were  so  marked  in  after  life  were 
seen  even  in  the  bud.  In  childhood  her  contented,  cheerful, 
sunny  disposition  was  very  manifest.  To  this  was  added  a 
spirit  of  intense  activity — activity  of  feet,  hands  and  mind. 
The  loss  or  denial  of  childish  toys  and  trifles,  which  usually 
brings  such  grief  to  a  child,  were  generally  of  slight  con- 
cern to  her.  Ordinarily  her  sports  were  not  of  that  kind 
which  affords  most  delight  to  children  of  the  same  age. 
While  they  might  be  contented  to  gather  the  roses  which 
grew  just  by  the  door-step,  she  loved  to  wander  away  in 
search  of  some  amusement  which  better  suited  her  taste. 
She  would  be  missed,  and  the  question  raised  "  where  is 
Mary  ? "  Soon  she  could  be  heard  singing  in  the  distance  ; 
then  perhaps  be  discovered  in  the  topmost  bough  of  some 
convenient  apple-tree,  swaying  to  and  fro,  singing  as  mer- 
rily as  some  bird  of  the  forest,  and  like  it  just  as  uncon- 
scious of  danger.  This  insensibility  to  fear  she  carried 
with  her  through  life.  In  all  those  situations  were  woman 
is  usually  paralyzed  by  the  presence  of  danger  she  mani- 
fested little  concern.  Even  when  they  were  overtaken  by 
a  mighty  tempest  on  the  Atlantic,  she  says  :  "  There  was 
mingled  Avith  it  no  feeling  of  fear,  only  a  sense  of  the 
keenest  enjoyment,  and  a  most  vivid  and  powerful  realiza- 
tion of  the  might  of  Him  who  made  the  sea,  and  walks 
upon  its  waves." 

Soon  after  she  was  able  to  read  a  great  passion  for  books 
discovered  itself.  Everything  in  her  reach  that  the  mind 
of  a  child  could  comprehend  was  literally  devoured.  As 
the  capacities  of  her  mind  unfolded  themselves  she  seemed 
to  thirst  for  knowledge.  The  narrative  and  biography  of 
profane  history  she  loved,  and  the  wonderful  stories  and 
simple  narratives  of  the  Bible  fascinated  her.  But  at  that 
time  thev  were  read  and  studied  not  for  their  devotional 


MRS.    MARY   GALLOWAY    (UIFEN.  d 

spirit,  but  because  lier  mind  craved  the  knowledge  thus 
gained.  Books  were  to  her  Avhat  the  sunlight  and  the  dew 
are  to  the  flower.  Unlike  most  eager  and  ra])id  readers, 
what  she  once  read  became  her  permanent  property.  It 
was  not  unusual  in  her  school-days  to  find  her  surrounded 
by  her  companions,  while  she  delineated  the  character  and 
the  achievements  of  some  hero  of  history,  giving  names  and 
dates  and  personal  expressions  and  judgments  with  much 
of  the  clearness  and  distinctness  which  characterized  her 
writings  in  after  life. 

She  had  a  great  wealth  of  affection.  Those  whom  she 
loved,  she  loved  with  an  intensity  and  devotion  such  as  few 
natures  are  capable  of  feeling.  So  strong  was  this  feeling 
that  those  who  knew  her  best  were  often  surprised.  Her 
father  and  mother,  brothers  and  sisters  she  almost  idolized, 
— so  that  their  fortunes  and  misfortunes  lay  very  close  to 
her  heart.  From  her  friends  she  withheld  nothing — what 
was  hers  Avas  theirs ;  so  that  it  was  often  said  of  her,  "  she 
could  not  do  too  much  for  those  whom  she  loved." 

"  Excellence  of  character  is  not  secured  by  birth  or 
blood,"  but  it  seems  most  likely  that  in  Mrs.  GifTen  was 
reproduced  some  of  the  prominent  traits  of  character 
which  were  manifested  in  both  her  paternal  and  maternal 
ancestors.  It  is  often  true  that  certain  peculiarities  of 
mind  and  body  will  overleap  a  generation  or  two  and  de- 
velop themselves  in  just  as  pronounced  a  way  as  in  the 
originals.  The  subject  of  this  sketch  doubtless  derived  the 
brilliancy  and  versatility  of  her  mind  from  her  mother's 
family — the  Speers.  But  in  every  other  particular  she 
strikingly  resembled  her  paternal  grandmother — Mrs.  Mary 
Millen  Galloway.  This  grandmother  was  endowed  with 
more  than  ordinary  mental  vigor,  and  piety.  Her  school- 
days were  prior  to  the  \\i\v  of  the  Revolution  when  school 


10  LIFE   AND    LETTERS   OF 

books  could  not  often  be  obtained  at  any  price.  But  even 
Avhen  a  very  small  girl  she  attended  school  and  made  fair 
progress  by  simply  listening  to  the  recitations  of  those  who 
were  fortunate  enough  to  have  a  book.  This  same  energy 
and  determination  of  will  characterized  her  through  life. 
Though  she  was  an  ardent  lover  of  books  and  read  all  the 
religious  and  theological  books  she  could  obtain,  yet  "  she 
looked  Avell  to  the  ways  of  her  house,"  and  the  wants  of  her 
very  large  family.  Although  she  was  the  mother  of  nine 
sons  and  two  daughters  who  grew  to  maturity,  and  living 
in  an  age  when  every  vestige  of  clothing  had  to  be  carded 
and  s^Dun,  and  woven  and  fashioned  by  her  own  hands,  still 
she  found  time  to  read  a  portion  of  some  instructive  book 
each  day.  Much  of  her  reading  was  done  from  an  open 
book  lying  at  the  head  of  her  wheel — from  this  she  read  as 
she  worked.  In  this  way  she  acquired  much  important 
information.  As  she  possessed  in  a  high  degree  the  faculty 
of  communicating  to  others  the  treasures  of  her  own  mind, 
her  children  were  indebted  to  her  for  most  of  their  religi- 
ous education,  and  for  that  training  in  the  distinctive  prin- 
ciples of  the  Associate  Reformed  church,  to  which  she  so 
tenaciously  clung.  The  father  in  true  patriarchal  style 
would  sit  by,  in  his  large  arm  chair,  and  endorse  the  moth- 
er's instruction.  When  the  congregation  at  Bullock's 
Creek,  York  county,  S.  C,  abandoned  the  use  of  Psalms 
and  substituted  hymns,  she  persuaded  her  husband  to 
remove  their  membership  to  Hopewell  in  Chester  county. 
And  when  her  youngest  child — Mrs.  GifFen's  father — was 
baptized,  she  carried  him  on  horseback,  to  Hopewell,  a 
distance  of  twenty  miles.  After  a  generation  had  passed 
away,  and  her  children  were  old  and  grey-headed,  they 
never  spoke  of  her  except  in  the  tenderest  accents.  They 
"  rose  up  and  called  her  blessed,"  and  the  heart  of  her  hus- 
band "  safely  trusted  in  her." 


MRS.    MARY    GALLOWAY    filFFEN.  11 

The  reisemblance  between  grandinotlier  and  graiul- 
daughter — ^Nlrs.  i\Iary  Millen  Galloway  and  Mrs.  Mary 
Galloway  Giffen — was  very  cunii)lete  in  nearly  every  point. 
Not  only  was  the  })hysical  similarity  almost  perfect,  but  in 
mental  ability,  ami  quick  readiness  of  action  the  one  was 
almost  a  reproduction  of  the  other.  In  the  same  way  the 
affectionate  and  sympathetic  nature  of  the  grandmother, 
purified  and  sanctified  by  grace,  was  no  less  clearly  devel- 
oped in  the  granddaughter,  who  a  century  later  gave  up 
kindred  and  home  for  the  Master's  service. 

The  foregoing  brief  sketch  of  Mrs.  Gitfen's  ancestry  and 
early  life  will  better  enable  us  to  understand  her  career  as 
a  school-girl.  [Since  it  was  not  the  privilege  of  the  writer  to 
have  any  personal  knowledge  of  Avhat  took  place  during 
those  years,  the  following  letter  from  Prof.  Wnu  Hood, 
under  Avhose  tuition  she  received  almost  all  her  education, 
will  be  read  with  very  deep  interest : 

"  Rev.  J.  C.  Galloway — Dj;ar  Sir  : 

Having  learned  that  you  intend  to  publish  a  sketch  of 
the  life  of  your  sister,  Mrs.  Mary  "E.  Giffen,  along  with 
letters  written  while  she  was  a  missionary  in  Egypt,  I  de- 
sire in  testimony  of  my  appreciation  of  her  merits  to  fur- 
nish you  some  data  of  her  life  while  she  was  a  school-girl. 

It  was  my  privilege  to  be  her  instructor,  both  in  the  vil- 
lage and  county  schools  of  Newberry,  S.  C,  during  a  part 
of  the  years  1854,  1855,  1858  and  1859.  In  consequence 
of  this  relation  to  her  I  am  probably  better  acquainted  with 
the  early  developments  of  her  mind  than  any  one  outside 
of  her  own  immediate  family.  In  fact  it  is  likely  that  I 
had  advantages  which  even  members  of  her  own  family 
did  not  enjoy  of  judging,  not  only  of  the  character  and 
capabilities  of  her  mind  at  this  period,  but  also  of  her 


12  LIFE   AND    LETTERS   OF 

social  qualities,  and  the  -womanly  graces  that  marked  her 
intercourse  with  strangers. 

The  years  mentioned,  with  the  intervening  ones,  cover  a 
term  of  six  years  and  include  her  life  during  that  most  in- 
teresting period  Avhen  the  frank  and  confiding  little  girl 
shades  by  beautiful,  but  almost  imperceptible  gradations 
into  young  womanhood.  During  a  part  of  the  tAvo  years 
just  mentioned,  in  addition  to  my  opportunity  to  know  her 
in  all  the  phases  of  life  in  the  school-room,  I  boarded  in 
your  father's  family,  and  was  therefore  allowed  to  see  and 
understand  her  more  fully.  Whether  in  study  or  amuse- 
ment, at  school  or  at  h<nne,  she  numifested  the  same  strik- 
ing individuality  of  character,  (luick,  positive,  compre- 
hending at  a  glance  the  circumstances  around  her,  and  as 
an  act  of  instinct  discovering  the  means  of  execution. 

It  has  been  said  that  "  the  boy  is  father  to  the  man," 
This  saying  was  never  more  fully  exem])lified  than  in  the 
life  of  your  sister.  No  one  could  know  her  at  all  inti- 
mately without  feeling  forced  to  study  her  character. 
Never  have  I  seen  a  character  unfold  more  evenly,  nor 
more  in  accordance  with  antecedent  tendencies, — no  abrupt 
changes,  no  retrogrades,  no  relaxations — but  a  symmetrical, 
uniform  and  rapid  progression  with  liigh  and  heroic  pur- 
poses in  view.  In  the  time  specified  she  completed  all  the 
studies  from  the  aiithmetic  and  English  grammar  to  the 
higher  branches,  including  Latin,  required  for  admission 
to  a  class  nearly  completing  the  curriculum  in  the  College 
where  she  graduated.  In  all  the  study  involved  in  this 
large  amount  of  work,  I  do  not  think  she  ever  appeared 
with  a  recitation  indift'erently  })repared.  8he  was  emi- 
nently prompt  in  all  that  she  undertook,  energetic  and 
ambitions  of  progress  almost  to  impatience  at  times.  Par- 
tial views  of  a  subject  or  topic  of  study  never  satisfied  her, 


MRS.    MARY   GALLOWAY   GIFFEN.  13 

and  her  inquiries  as  to  the  bearing  of  the  terms  and  prin- 
ciples of  the  sciences  under  review,  were  so  discriminating 
as  to  show  thorough  work  at  every  step.  She  eagerly 
pressed  forward  for  final  results,  but  never  allowed  her 
zeal  to  obscure  the  importance  of  details.  The  details 
might  be  tedious,  but  to  her  mind  problems  were  structures 
in  which  every  part  and  piece  of  timber  must  be  laid  true, 
and  made  fast  in  its  place  to  insure  the  strength  and  com- 
pleteness of  the  whole. 

Thus  while  she  was  daily  building  up  her  own  life  into 
the  truest  type  of  noble  womanhood,  she  was  dealing 
methodically  with  everything  she  touched,  which  moulds  and 
strengthens  intellectual  development.  No  encouragments 
were  needed  except  what  she  derived  from  daily  triumphs 
over  obstacles  in  the  path  of  study,  and  no  stimulus  except 
what  the  subject  to  be  mastered  furnished.  To  learn  at  once 
and  thoroughly  was  her  ambition  ;  and  her  reward  was  the 
consciousness  that  what  she  attempted  she  was  able  to 
perform.  She  rather  sought  than  avoided  the  difficult 
parts  of  science.  The  deeper  the  fountain  the  purer  the 
waters,  and  a  draft  from  the  bottom  cooler  than  the  sur- 
face. No  investigation  intimidated.  Every  line  of  thought 
was  a  vein  of  gold  that  grew  richer  at  each  advance. 

Her  memory  was  equal  to  her  energy  and  courage.  I 
often  thought  that  she  lost  less  of  what  she  read  than  any 
pupil  it  was  ever  my  privilege  to  teach.  Frequently  have 
I  had  occasion  to  request  her  assistance  to  refer  to  matters 
contained  in  an  author  I  knew  she  had  read.  It  always 
seemed  to  afford  her  pleasure  to  undertake  the  search,  and 
she  never  failed  to  find,  with  remarkable  facility,  the  sub- 
ject, sentiment,  and  even  the  words  in  question. 

Of  course  it  was  only  natural  that,  the  influence  of  a 
pupil  of  such  habits,  should  be  very  great  on  her  school- 


14  LIFE   AND   LETTERS   OF 

mates.  She  was  conspicuous  in  a  class  of  a  number  of 
young  ladies,  all  of  whom  I  would  be  pleased  to  mention, 
were  I  not  writing  of  the  lamented  dead  alone,  on  whose 
example  in  study  and  attractive  proprieties  in  all  the  rela- 
tions of  the  school-room,  I  relied  as  a  main  support,  in  the 
later  years  of  her  connection  with  it.  She  appreciated  the 
value  of  order  in  all  that  appertained  to  the  management  of 
a  school,  and  heartily  co-operated  in  securing  it.  I  recall 
with  pleasure  the  many  gentle  admonitions  I  have  heard 
her  give  the  less  thoughtful  among  her  schoolmates, 
the  happy  inspiration  of  her  example  to  them,  and  accept 
it  all  as  thus  early  foreshadowing  the  eminent  success  won 
by  herself  in  that  profession  in  the  still  later  days  of  her 
illustrious  life. 

I  could  recall  and  record  many  incidents  illustrative  of 
all  that  I  have  said  of  her,  and  much  more  than  I  can 
indulge  myself  in  saying,  were  it  consistent  with  the  object 
of  this  short  sketch. 

Should  you  find  anything  to  be  of  service  to  you  in  this 
notice  of  so  short  a  span  in  a  life  rendered  sublime  by  the 
sacrifice  of  its  temporal  comforts,  in  obedience  to  the  Mas- 
ter's call  for  more  laborers  in  his  ripened  fields,  and  all  too 
short  when  measured  by  our  hopes  in  her  work,  and  love 
for  herself — make  such  use  of  it  as  may  best  suit  your 
plans  in  the  publication  you  have  undertaken." 

To  all  the  other  attributes  of  Mrs.  Giffen's  mind  we  must 
add  that  of  an  exalted  ambition.  If  she  found  herself 
excelled  by  a  classmate  in  any  department  of  study,  or  in 
any  single  recitation,  her  mortification  was  very  great,  but 
her  classmate  would  never  discover  it  from  any  act  or  word 
of  her's.  Quietly,  but  with  invincible  resolution,  she 
wrought  the  harder  for  the  disputed  position,  and  the 
sharpened  zest  and  increased  toil  rarely  failed  to  secure 


MRS.   MARY   GALLOWAY   GIFFEN.  15 

the  coveted  prize.  If  a  reward  was  offered  by  her  teach- 
ers instantly  the  resolution  was  formed  :  "  I  must  have  that 
prize."  Others  might  keep  abreast  if  they  could,  but  she 
suffered  no  one  to  go  in  advance.  This  was  the  creed 
which  governed  her  school  days.  But  as  the  years  passed 
on  and  her  intellect  developed  and  expanded,  she  rose 
above  the  merely  ambitious  desire  to  excel.  Her  reading 
and  study  Avere  now  for  the  pleasure  and  satisfaction  that 
it  afforded  her  in  acquainting  herself  Avith  the  thoughts  of 
the  wise  and  good  and  great  among  men  in  all  past  time. 

But  it  must  not  be  supposed  that  all  this  was  gained 
Avithout  great  exertion.  It  Avas  true  of  her,  as  of  the  rest 
of  ordinary  mankind,  "  there  is  no  excellence  Avithout 
great  labor."  When  engaged  on  some  difficult  problem  or 
in  the  ambitious  desire  to  excel,  the  hour  of  midnight 
often  found  her  bending  over  her  task. 

When  the  failing  health  of  her  father  necessitated  his 
retirement  from  the  active  Avork  of  the  ministry,  and  the 
resignation  of  his  pastorate,  he  turned  his  attention  to  the 
education  of  his  children.  This  Avork  had  ahvays  lain 
very  near  to  his  heart,  and  to  accomplish  this  best,  in  the 
Avinter  of  1859  he  removed  his  family  to  Due  West.  Here 
Mrs.  Giffin  entered  the  Junior  class  in  the  female  college, 
half  advanced.  The  same  unflagging  energy  and  close 
application  Avhich  had  so  signally  marked  her  earlier  years 
of  study,  AV'ere  just  as  manifest  in  these  closing  months. 
Indeed  so  thorough  and  so  successful  were  her  efforts  at 
this  period  that  her  sehool  record  shoAvs  that  there  Avere 
not  above  three  or  four  recitations  during  the  entire  term, 
which  Avere  not  perfect.  She  enjoyed  the  advantages  of  a 
collegiate  instruction  for  a  very  brief  term — not  more  than 
sixteen  months.  Perhaps  five  years  Avould  cover  the  en- 
tire period  of  her  school  life.     But  as  "  labor  overcomes 


16  LIFE   AND   LETTERS   OF 

all  things,"  Mrs.  Giffen  received  on  her  graduation  day 
the  highest  honors  conferred  by  the  institution  from  which 
she  graduated. 

At  the  age  of  eighteen,  when  she  left  college  she  had 
read  almost  all  the  po})ular  classical  authors,  and  in  addi- 
tion to  these  a  very  wide  range  of  other  literature,  of  such 
a  character  that  few  young  ladies  have  the  capacity  or  the 
taste  to  investigate.  After  graduation  she  was  very  desir- 
ous of  pursuing  a  more  extended  and  thorough  course  of 
study  than  that  aiiurded  l)y  the  ordinary  institutions  of 
learning,  but  finding  this  impracticable,  she  immediately 
entered  upon  a  very  comprehensive  course  of  reading. 
She  had  access  to  several  extensive  public  libraries,  and  in 
these  she  literally  reveled.  No  miser  amid  his  heaps  of 
gold  and  silver  ever  handled  his  coveted  treasure  with  the 
delight  and  unalloyed  hai)piness  which  she  felt  in  commun- 
ing with  the  master  minds  of  the  literary  world. 

In  a  few  months  she  had  read  all  the  greater  English 
poets,  and  had  arranged  and  classified  in  her  mind,  the 
contents  of  each  one  in  regard  to  their  intrinsic  merits,  or 
peculiar  style.  But  of  them  all  the  transcendent  genius 
and  lofty  imagination  of  Byron  most  fascinated  her. 

Of  all  her  studies,  however,  none  so  interested  and  in- 
structed her  as  history — whether  of  individuals  or  nations. 
She  dearly  loved  to  trace  the  efforts  and  struggles  of  each 
one,  as  they  appeared  and  disappeared  on  the  stage  of  the 
world's  history,  rose  to  dazzling  greatness,  or  sunk  into 
nothingness.  Here  she  gained  her  deepest  insight  into  human 
motives  and  character,  and  learned  her  profoundest  lessons 
in  regard  to  the  problem  of  life. 

Nor  were  the  prose  wi'itings  of  the  best  authors  in  any 
degree  neglected.  But  her  reading  in  the  realm  of  ficti- 
tious literature  was  conducted  with  great  caution,  and  in 


MRS.    MARY   GALLOWAY    OTFFEN.  17 

the  exercise  of  a  most  discriniinatiug  jiulgiuoul.  She  gave 
her  attention  only  to  such  as  were  pure,  refining,  and  ele- 
vated in  its  tone.  The  imbecility,  insipidity  and  mawkish 
sentimentality  which  constitutes  so  largo  a  part  of  the  warp 
and  woof  of  modern  literature  was  offensive  to  her,  and  just 
as  she  wouhl  repel  indecent  conduct  and  offensive  words  in 
her  presence,  so  did  she  repel  such  literature.  And  when  she 
was  betrayed  into  the  reading  (^f  a  book  of  questionable  tend- 
ency, she  either  laid  it  aside  at  once  when  discovered,  or  else 
continued  its  })erusal  with  that  t)ffended  sense  of  delicacy 
and  modesty  which  a  well-bred  lady  feels  in  the  presence 
of  what  is  indelicate  and  immodest.  On  one  occasion  a 
friend  sent  her  a  copy  of  George  Eliot's  Middlemarcli,  ac- 
companying it  with  a  note  of  most  enthusiastic  commenda- 
tion. She  had  not  read  many  j)ages  before  she  discovered 
its  detestable  morality,  laid  it  aside  in  deep  disgu.st  and 
never  opened  it  again. 

Nor  did  she  neglect  purely  philosophical  studies  and  in- 
vestigations, for  her  mind  was  not  one-sided.  All  her  mental 
faculties  were  evenly  and  equally  developed  :  or,  as  another 
has  phrased  it,  her  mind  was  "  circularly  developed."  She 
did  not  suffer  from  the  infirmity  so  common  to  so  many 
truly  great  minds — that  of  being  strong  and  powerfully 
developed  in  some  lines  of  mental  activity  and  capacity, 
and  weak  as  a  child  in  other  departments.  Hence  she 
mastered  a  difficult  equation  in  algebra,  or  solved  a 
problem  in  geometry  with  the  same  ease  and  facility 
with  which  she  translated  a  page  in  Virgil  or 
Horace.  But  her  mathematical  faculty  was  best  de- 
veloped, and  in  its  exercise  she  most  delighted  and 
most  excelled.  Yet  she  took  a  peculiar  delight  in 
what  was  especially  imaginative,  and  as  her  writings 
will   testify,   often    allowed  hei-  fancy    to   soar   aloft   in 


IS  LIFE    AND    LETTERS   OF 

the  boldest  flights  of  imagery.  At  the  same  time  she  coukl 
descend  into  the  most  purely  practical  and  severe  forms  of 
study  and  thought  with  equal  facility.  For  example  wit- 
ness her  letter  on  the  mathematical  })roportions  and  scien- 
tific construction  of  the  great  pyramid  illustrating  the  theory 
of  Piazzi  Smyth,  "astronomer  royal," of  Scotland;  then  in 
vivid  contrast  her  description  of  her  feelings  and  thoughts  as 
she  stood  on  the  top  of  that  mountain  of  stone.  At  this 
period  of  her  life  the  taste  for  purely  mental  culture,  was 
so  absorbing,  and  was  carried  to  such  a  degree,  that  her 
friends  became  alarmed  lest  the  intellectual  part  of  her 
nature  would  swallow  up  the  religious.  The  greed  of  her 
intellect  was  circumscribed  only  by  her  surroundings. 
AVhat  she  read  was  quickly  assimilated,  what  she  once 
made  her's  was  never  lost,  and  it  was  as  easily  retained  as 
the  facility  with  which  it  was  obtained. 

During  all  these  years  she  must  have  had  some  religious 
impressions  and  convictions,  for  her  Christian  training  was 
all  that  a  pious,  faithful  and  devoted  fother  and  mother 
and  mother  could  make  it.  Yet  judging  from  her  well- 
known  open  and  decisive  character,  and  the  entire  ignorance 
of  her  most  intimate  friends  in  regard  to  it,  these  impressions 
could  not  have  been  very  permanent  or  profound.  They  at 
least  produced  no  marked  change  in  the  tenor  of  her  life. 
The  purely  intellectual  seemed  to  have  dominated  her 
whole  nature. 


MRS.    MARY    GALLOWAY    GIFFEN.  19 


CHAPTER  II. 

DEATH  OF  HER  BROTHER — CONVERSION — EFFORT  AT 
MISSION  WORK — CAREER  AS  A  TEACHER — LETTERS 
FROM   TEXAS — MISSION    TO   THE   GERMANS. 

At  the  time  of  Mrs.  Giflen'.s  graduation  the  country  was 
darkened  by  the  shadows  of  a  coming  civil  war.  All  was 
commotion  and  confusion.  INIen  seemed  frenzied  with  ex- 
citement and  political  passion.  The  artisan  left  his  bench, 
the  student  his  text  book,  and  the  farmer  his  plow.  The 
tramp  of  armed  men  was  everywhere  heard,  and  the  coun- 
try seemed  one  vast  mustering  camp.  Still  so  insatiable 
was  her  thirst  for  the  fountains  of  knowledge,  that  even  in 
these  untoward  circumstances  she  })ursued  her  studies  pri- 
vately for  many  months.  But  as  the  great  conflict  deep- 
ened, and  the  church-yards  began  to  fill  with  the  dead 
brought  back  from  the  fields  of  carnage,  the  spell  seemed 
to  be  broken,  and  she  turned  to  the  sober  prosaic  duties  of 
the  hour.  But  no  one  gifted  with  her  boundless  energy 
could  long  remain  inactive,  and  she  now  turned  her  atten- 
tion to  the  vocation  of  the  teacher,  and  took  charge  of  a 
private  school  in  Georgia.  Here  her  large-heartedness, 
her  attractive  social  qualities,  and  brilliant  conversational 
powers  made  her  many  friends.  All  with  whom  she  was 
brought  in  contact  were  won  to  her,  and  became  fast  and  firm 
friends,  and  even  to  this  day  "  Miss  Galloway  "  has  a  large 
place  in  their  affections."  But  at  the  end  of  the  year  she 
returned  home,  for  the  country  had  become  so  convulsed 
by  the  throes  of  the  gigantic  conflict,  that  almost  all  the 
liberal  professions  were  suspended,  and  men  and  women 
gazed  with  bated  breath  upon  red  battle-fiehls  and  smoking 
cities. 


20  LIFE    AND    LETTERS   OF 

Perhaps  a  year  before  this  Mrs.  Giffen's  eldest  brother, — 
Calvin  M.  Galloway — a  "  beardless  youth,"  enlisted  in  the 
Confederate  army.  Between  these  two  there  existed  a  pure 
and  deathless  affection.  She  loved  him  with  a  wealth  of 
affection  that  few  brothers  ever  receive,  and  few  sisters  are 
capable  of  giving.  And  he  fully  returned  it.  At  the  time 
of  his  enlistment  he  was  a  member  of  the  Freshman  class 
in  Erskine  College,  and  was  a  youth  of  uncommon  promise, 
closely  resembling  in  intellect  and  affections  his  now  sainted 
sister.  The  correspondence  between  them  was  close  and 
full.  Every  week  the  mail  bore  away  a  thick  letter,  filled 
with  such  hopes  and  messages  as  such  a  sister  alone  could 
give.  AVhen  the  telegraph  flashed  the  news  "  a  great  battle 
has  been  fought,"  her  heart  seemed  to  stand  still  until  a 
letter  in  his  well  known  handwriting  brought  relief.  At 
that  time  every  family  had  a  daily  newsj^aper.  Mrs.  Giffen 
was  an  accomplished  reader,  and  during  those  dark  days 
of  "  agony  long  drawn  out,"  the  chiefest  event  of  the  day 
Avas  the  gathering  of  the  houseiiold  around  the  fireside  for 
the  perusal  of  the  paper.  By  universal  consent  Mrs. 
Giffen  was  installed  as  reader,  and  one  of  the  brightest 
memories  of  that  dark  time  is  the  recollection  of  her  clear 
ringing  voice,  as  she  read  column  after  column  of  "  The 
very  latest  from  the  front." 

The  weary  days  and  months  dragged  on,  and  at  last  the 
armies  confronted  each  other  at  Spottsylvania  Court 
House.  At  day-break,  on  the  12th  of  May,  1864,  the  Con- 
federate line  holding  the  extreme  point  of  a  projecting 
angle  was  overrun  and  captured  by  the  Federals,  "  twenty 
lines  of  battle  deep."  To  restore  the  line  McGowan's 
South  Carolina  brigade  was  sent  in  this  angle.  After 
fighting  all  day,  in  that  carnival  of  death,  with  a  cool 
courage  that  extorted  admiration  even  from  strangers,  this 
loved  brother  fell  "  in  the  fore  front  (jf  the  battle." 


MRS.    MARY    GALLOWAY   GIFFEN.  21 

It  fell  to  niy  lot  to  bring  home  the  sad  tidings,  "  Calvin 
is  missing."  And  when  she  ran  to  meet  me  at  the  gate, 
and  I  told  her  the  terrible  truth,  I  will  never  forget  how 
looked  her  white  and  agonized  face.  It  was  a  blow  that 
seemed  to  drive  back  the  whole  tenor  of  her  life.  Her 
nature  was  convulsed  from  center  to  circumference.  The 
blow,  so  keen-edged  and  severe  to  a  disposition  like  hers — 
an  affection  so  deep  and  pure,  and  a  sensibility  so  extreme 
— was  like  taking  her  own  life. 

His  death  produced  a  complete  revolution  in  her  feelings. 
Although  he  was  smitten  down  in  an  instant  and  never 
spoke  after,  she  had  no  doubts  and  alarms  about  his  future, 
for  he  had  been  for  some  time  in  connection  with  the 
church  of  his  father  and  mother.  But  at  this  time  she  was 
not.  This  event  turned  the  whole  current  of  her  life  into 
an  entirely  different  channel.  It  aroused  deep  and  search- 
ing questions  about  her  own  future.  The  idea  of  a  final, 
total  separation  from  this  loved  one,  seemed  to  be  more 
than  she  could  endure,  and  on  the  wings  of  affection  her 
spirit  followed  his  into  the  spirit  land.  "  Shall  I  never  see 
him  again?  Am  I  to  be /o) -ere r  separated  from  him?  I  can- 
not even  bear  the  thought.  He  cannot  come  to  me  but  I 
can  go  to  him."  And  then  and  there  with  all  the  energy 
and  purpose  that  characterized  her  life,  she  resolved,  "  I 
Avill  go  to  him.  God  helping  me  I  will  see  his  face  once 
more,  and  see  it  in  that  land  where  war  is  unknown,"  and 
"  whose  sod  has  never  yet  Ijeen  pierced  for  a  grave."  To 
this  solemn  resolve  God  added  his  blessing,  and  in  her  case 
literally  fulfilled  the  promise,  "  they  that  seek  Me  early  shall 
find  Me."  Thus  does  God  bring  good  out  of  evil,  and  make 
man's  extremity  His  opportunity.  Her  Bible  had  been 
much  read  before  this,  but  now  it  was  read  with  an  en- 
tirely new  meaning.     It  became  her  constant  companion. 


22  LIFE   AND    LETTERS   OF 

her  daily  and  hourly  study.  With  the  Bible,  and  some 
Commentary  in  her  hand  she  daily  sought  the  quiet  and 
solitude  of  a  neighboring  grove,  and  seemed  intent  only 
upon  communion  with  her  Saviour.  In  addition  to  this 
she  used  all  other  helps  and  theological  writings  which 
were  at  hand.  The  writer  well  remembers  her  serene  and 
satisfied  demeanor  when  this  course  of  reading  was  finished. 
Her  manner  and  actions  plainly  indicated  that  the  light 
from  above  was  shining  full  upon  her,  that  there  were  now 
no  distracting  doubts  and  fears — all  was  clear  and  peace- 
ful. 

But  it  was  the  study  of  such  works  as  the  "  Life  of  Mrs. 
Judson,"  Mrs.  Harriet  Newell,  and  Mrs.  Graham,  that 
most  interested  and  delighted  her,  and  which  most  largely 
shaped  her  future  life.  The  cultivation  of  her  religious 
life  was  now  as  earnestly  and  diligently  pursued  as  had 
been  her  intellectual  nature.  She  seemed  intent  upon  ed- 
ucating equally  in  religious  truth,  both  her  heart  and 
mind,  that  she  might  not  only  feel  in  her  soul  all  the  tender 
and  loving  force  of  "  the  truth  as  it  is  in  Jesus,"  but  also 
have  a  thoroughly  intellectual  and  theoretical  knowledge 
of  the  way  of  life.  This  she  attained  in  a  very  eminent 
degree. 

Mrs.  GiflTen's  religious  experience  was,  in  one  respect, 
very  striking.  If  she  was  ever  troubled  with  those  seasons 
of  weakness  and  darkness  which  often  make  up  no  small 
portion  of  the  lives  even  of  very  eminent  Christians,  her 
friends  never  knew  it.  And  we  think  that  such  was  not 
the  case.  The  reason  for  this  doubtless  lay  in  the  fact  that 
her  knowledge  of  religious  truth  was  very  clear,  positive 
and  comprehensive,  so  that  when  once  grounded  in  a  truth, 
nothing  moved  her.  Most  of  the  distress  and  perplexity 
which  Christians  experience  arises  from  imperfect  appre- 


MRS.    MARY    GALLOWAY    filFFEN.  28 

hension  of  the  truth,  and  the  ^va^t  of  positive  and  settled 
convictions.  All  these  sources  of  weakness  were  wanting 
in  Mrs.  Giffen's  religious  character,  hence  her  Christian 
race  was  firm  and  vigorous,  like  "the  path  of  the  just 
which  shineth  more  and  more  unto  the  perfect  day." 

Up  to  this  time  she  had  lived  i)rincipally  to  gratify  her 
intellectual  tastes,  for  her  sisters  and  brothers,  and  for  the 
devoted  friends  whom  she  had  won.  But  now  under  the 
impulse  of  the  new  Divine  life  stirring  within  her,  and 
largely  also  because  of  reading  such  biographies  as  those 
of  Payson  and  Brainerd,  Mrs.  Judson  and  Mrs.  Newell, 
her  soul  was  strongly  drawn  out  to  her  unfortunate  sisters 
in  heathen  countries.  Since  she  iu)w  knew  something  of 
the  power  of  the  love  of  God,  in  her  own  heart,  and  the 
joy  which  His  Spirit  gave,  she  was  filled  with  a  great  long- 
ing to  go  forth  and  toil  in  those  lands  that  were  covered 
with  the  shadow  of  moral  death,  where  "  there  is  no  vision 
and  the  people  perish."  Time  only  seemed  to  feed  the  holy 
flame  that  was  burning  within  her. 

At  this  time,  however,  the  country  was  still  distracted  by 
civil  war,  and  it  was  therefore  impossible  to  enter  upon 
work  of  that  character.  As  soon  however  as  national  quiet 
was  restored,  and  communication  was  again  established  be- 
tween the  Northern  and  Southern  churches,  she  attempted 
to  put  her  resolution  into  effect,  and  formally  consecrate 
her  life  to  the  Master  in  the  great  cause  of  missions.  To 
this  end,  at  her  request,  my  father  directed  a  communica- 
tion to  Rev.  J.  B.  Dales,  D.  D.,  Secretary  of  the  Board  of 
Foreign  Missions  of  the  United  Presbyterian  church,  ask- 
ing if  that  Board  would  be  willing  to  send  out  a  single  lady 
into  the  foreign  field.  To  this  inquiry  the  answer  came, 
"  we  have  more  applicants  than  we  have  the  means  to  sup- 
port."   Application  was  made  to  this  Board  because  at  this 


24  JvIFE   AND    LETTERS   OF 

time  the  Associate  Reformed  churcli  had  no  Board  of  Mis- 
sions, This  attempt  was  made  in  the  latter  part  of  the  year 
1865.  Notwithstanding  this  failure  she  still  clung  to  her 
purpose.  In  the  summer  of  the  following  year,  in  company 
with  her  brother,  she  sought  and  held  a  conference  with  Dr. 
Bonner.  It  was  long  and  earnest.  China  was  the  field 
which  she  had  selected  when  she  first  formed  the  resolution 
to  devote  her  life  to  missionary  labor,  and  at  this  time  she 
was  seeking  his  advice  in  regard  to  entering  at  once  this 
field.  As  the  conference  drew  to  a  close  she  said  :  "  Then 
you  do  not  favor  the  undertaking?"  His  answer  was 
cheerful  in  tone,  but  discouraging  in  eflPect.  "  AVait  a 
while — wait  a  while,  and  let  us  see."  Perhaps  his  sagacious 
mind  foresaw  what  actually  occurred  ten  years  later,  when 
she  entered  the  work  as  the  honored  missionary  of  her  own 
church,  and  in  the  field  of  that  church's  own  choosing — a 
thing  then  impossible. 

Cut  off  again  in  this  direction  she  accepted  the  result 
cheerfully,  as  she  always  did  any  inevitable  result,  saying, 
"  I  will  devote  my  life  to  teaching  in  this  country."  This 
she  did  with  marked  success,  for  whatever  she  did  was 
done  with  her  might.  Her  thorough  capacity,  rare  power 
in  reaching  the  hearts  of  her  pupils  and  high  social  quali- 
ties rendered  her  very  acceptable  as  a  teacher.  Not  once 
during  her  career  as  a  teacher  did  she  leave  a  situation 
with  the  consent  of  the  trustees.  During  this  period  of 
her  life  she  visited  many  sections  of  the  Southern  States, 
and  in  every  instance  left  behind  an  enviable  reputation. 

Rev.  D.  G.  Phillips,  D.  D.,  for  several  years  associated 
with  her  in  the  class-room,  thus  writes :  "  Her  mind  was 
pre-eminently  analytical,  and  very  tenacious,  possessing  in 
a  wonderful  degree  the  power  of  abstraction.  She  could 
hold  it  on  an  isolated  thought  until  she  had  weighed  it. 


MRS.    MARY    «ALT.O\VAY    firi-'FKX.  25 

labeled  it,  and  ^^ture*!  il  away  for  future  use.  Another 
peculiarity  was  her  love  for  the  study  of  dry  text  books; 
and  it  was  this  love  for  dry  and  severe  forms  of  study, 
which  made  her  l^oth  an  exact  and  profound  scholar.  As 
a  teacher  her  effort  was  to  train  the  mind  of  the  pupil  to 
tlibik.  She  often  (pioted  to  her  pupils  the  language  of  Dr. 
Thornwell — "  ability  to  think  is  worth  a  thousand  thoughts." 
With  a  masculine  energy  she  grajjpled  with  abstruse  ideas, 
and  inquired  into  facts,  and  the  nature,  laws  and  relations 
of  things.  She  found  more  ])leasure  in  calculating  the 
sides,  angles,  height  and  age  of  one  of  the  Pyramids,  than 
in  the  beauties  and  niceties  of  polite  literature." 

"  In  1871,  I  opened  an  Academy,  and  in  looking  around 
for  some  one  competent  to  take  charge  of  the  advanced 
classes,  in  French  and  mathematics,  and  at  the  same  time 
give  instruction  in  both  vocal  and  instrumental  music — a 
combination  of  talents  not  easily  found — my  mind  at  once 
turned  to  Mrs.  Giffen,  who  already  had  a  reputation  as  an 
expert  teacher.  She  accepted  at  once  and  entered  into  the 
work  with  the  feeling,  "  'Tis  not  in  mortals  to  command 
success,  but  we'll  do  more — deserve  it,"  she  did  both,  and 
left  in  this  section  memories  fragrant  as  "  ointment 
poured  forth."  As  a  teacher  she  needed  neither  govei-n- 
ment  nor  discipline  in  her  school.  There  was  a  kind  of 
magnetism  in  her  method  which  served  for  both,  and 
caught  and  held  the  attention  of  her  pupils.  Her  method 
of  instruction  was  strictly  analytical.  If  teaching  a  child 
its  alphabet,  she  began  by  teaching  it  to  fix  its  mouth,  and 
make  the  sign  of  the  sound  before  uttering  the  sound.  Or 
if  hearing  a  recitation  in  Quadratic  Equations,  she  re- 
quired the  pupil  to  analyze  the  statement,  and  tell  how  the 
work  should  proceed,  and  what  the  result  should  be,  before 
making  a  letter  on  the  board.     Thus  all  her  pupils  were 


26  LIFK    AND    LETTERS   OF 

taught  first  to  think  and  then  to  demonstrate  the  correct- 
ness of  the  thought.  Thus  the  mind  was  trained  to  make 
and  keep  all  its  faculties  subordinate  to  the  will.  As 
proof  of  her  efficiency,  several  of  her  pupils  who  afterward 
stood  high  in  their  college  course,  and  received  college 
honors,  attrilnite  their  success  to  the  methods  of  study  she 
taught  them." 

"  With  her  education  was  not  cramming  an  already  dis- 
tended and  active  mind  with  great  thoughts  and  well  di- 
gested ideas,  but  a  drawing  out  and  cultivating  the  latent 
powers  of  the  mind,  and  enabling  it  to  think  great  thoughts, 
and  digest  great  ideas.  Patient  and  painstaking  her  first 
object  was  to  get  the  attention  of  the  pupil  fixed  on  the 
labor  before  it,  and  her  abundant  resources  were  always 
adequate  to  that  task.  Herein  lay  her  strength.  It  was 
impossible  for  a  pupil  to  recite  to  her  one  hour  without 
being  (so  to  express  it)  invelgled'mXo  thinking.  Even  then 
she  never  allowed  herself  to  seem  to  think  for  her  pupil. 
If  he  could  not  master  a  difficulty,  and  called  for  assist- 
ance she  and  he  would  think  it  out  together  and  in  such  a 
way  that  he  should  feel  that  it  was  a  mutual  victory.  Here 
she  acquired  the  title  of  "  ilie  teacher "  by  way  of  pre- 
eminence. She  lives  in  the  hearts  of  many  pujjils  whom 
she  taught,  on  two  continents,  to  many  of  whom  she  will 
be  able  at  the  great  day,  to  point  and  say  "the  children 
whom  thou  hast  given  me." 

.She  had  much  of  that  subtile  influence  Avhich  we  will 
call  the  power  of  personal  magnetism,  and  sometimes  it 
was  exerted  in  a  wonderful  way.  Take  an  example  of 
this: 

She  had  been  teaching  in  Middle  Tennessee,  in  a  high 
school,  and  the  term  had  closed.  The  last  day  was  de- 
voted  to  the   usual    public   examination   of  the   various 


MRS.    MARY    r.AI.r.O'WAY    fJFFEX.  27 

classes.  The  moniiiig  exercises  liad  progressed  very  satis- 
factorily until  noon.  The  school  being  located  in  the 
country,  at  the  intermission,  some  of  the  young  lady  pupils 
gathered  in  the  music-room  to  have  a  last  talk  with  "  Miss 
Mary, '  for  her  friends  enjoyed  few  things  more  than  her 
rare  conversati_(mal  powers.  They  expressed  their  regrets 
that  the  efforts  of  the  trustees  could  not  induce  her  to  re- 
main another  year,  and  they  kncAV  they  would  not  have 
another  whom  they  would  love  as  they  did  her  ;  and  now 
she  was  going  away,  and  they  would  see  her  face  no  more. 
Soon  some  of  them  were  in  tears  and  others  were  sobbing 
aloud.  She  remonstrated  and  endeavored  again  and  again 
to  restore  quiet,  telling  them  that  the  remaining  exercises 
of  the  day  would  soon  come  on,  and  that  they  were  unfit- 
ting themselves  for  their  duties  in  these.  But  it  availed 
nothing  ;  and  the  sobbing  soon  extended  outside  of  the 
music-room  and  affected  the  entire  school.  Others  beside 
herself  interfered  and  endeavored  to  restore  quiet,  but  all 
efforts  })roved  unavailing.  Several  of  the  young  ladies 
became  rigid  and  insensible  and  in  this  condition  were 
carried  to  the  nearest  dwelling.  The  visiting  committee 
perceiving  the  position  of  afiairs,  advised  that  the  exer- 
cises be  closed  at  once  and  all  return  to  their  homes. 

This  was  done. 

Time  passed  on  and  the  year  187o  found  her  in  the  great 
State  of  Texas,  whither  she  had  gone  at  the  solicitation  of 
very  dear  friends,  whom  she  had  met  years  before.  The 
idea  of  making  such  a  distant  journey — across  the  South- 
ern States,  over  the  Gulf,  and  far  into  the  interior  of  Texas 
— a  State  at  that  time  regarded  as  the  paradise  of  vagabonds 
and  cut-throats,  rather  appalled  some  of  her  less  courageous 
friends.  After  residing  here  for  several  months  and 
making  a  thorough  study  of  Texas,  her  people  and  her 


28  LIFE   AND    LETTERS   OF 

material  resources,  she  wrote  a  series  of  letters  for  the 
Presbyterian.  These  were  known  as  the  famous  "Texas 
Letters,"  and  were  well  received  by  the  public.  The  au- 
thor was  unknown  at  this  time,  and  there  was  much  dis- 
cussion as  to  whether  the  writer  was  a  gentleman  or  lady. 
Some  contended  that  the  mental  breadth  and  grasp  of  the 
subject  and  the  bold,  vigorous  style  indisputably  proclaimed 
the  writer  a  gentleman.  Others  were  equally  sure  that 
the  keen  powers  of  observation  and  delicate  feminine 
touches  manifested  in  these  articles  discovered  the  hand 
of  a  woman. 

The  lamented  Dr.  Bonner,  editor  of  the  Presbyterian,  in 
writing  to  Mrs.  ii\i\en  in  acknowledgment  of  these  articles 
says  :  "  I  must  confess  that  I  have  treated  you  badly  in  not 
writing  to  you  long  ago.  You  have  been  very  kind  in 
writing  for  me — have  written  a  dozen  articles  of  very 
great  interest,  and  yet  this  is  the  first  time  I  have  sat 
down  to  thank  you.  But  let  me  assure  you  that  my  seem- 
ing neglect  has  not  been  on  account  of  indifference.  I 
can  never  forget  one  who  has  always  been  so  kind  to  me, 
but  especially  the  kindness  shown  me  in  Augusta  when  I 
was  sick — that  will  always  have  a  place  in  my  memory. 
But  I  do  thank  you  most  sincerely  for  your  excellent  let- 
ters from  Texas.  Without  any  intention  of  flattering  I 
must  say  that  I  regard  them  as  equal  to  the  best  corres- 
pondence of  the  metropolitan  papers.  This  is  the  verdict 
of  all  intelligent  readers.  Whenever  you  can  write  with- 
out interfering  too  much  with  other  pursuits,  I  hope  you 
will  use  your  pen  for  the  benefit  of  the  readers  of  the 
Presbyterian.     I  assure  you  the  favor  will  be  appreciated. 

"  Old  Mr.  Stevenson,  of  Generostee,  came  up  to  me  last 
Sabbath  evening  as  I  was  leaving  and  said :  '  I  do  not 
know  who  it  is  that  writes  from  Texas,  but  the  writer  ex- 


MRS.    MAKY   GALLOWAY    UIFFEN.  29 

presses  exactly  what  I  have  h)ng  felt,  but  could  not  express 
— about  '  forgivintf  and  not  forgetting.'  He  is  a  good  old 
man,  and  says  as  he  gets  nearer  and  nearer  to  his  end  he 
feels  more  and  more  interest  in  the  cause  of  Union,  espe- 
cially with  the  United  Presbyterians."  '^ 

But  the  cause  of  Associate  Reformed  Presbyterianism  in 
that  distant  region  received  much  attention  at  her  hands. 
She  was  devotedly  attached  to  the  church  of  her  fathers, 
and  it  grieved  her  to  find  how  many  of  its  members  had 
found  homes  in  that  great  State,  but  had  no  church  organ- 
ization of  their  own.  Indeed  at  that  time  there  was  only 
one  minister  of  the  Associate  Reformed  Church  in  the 
State.  By  personal  observation,  by  diligent  inquiry, 
and  by  every  other  avenue  of  knowledge  open  to  her, 
she  gathered  up  all  the  information  which  might  be 
useful  to  the  church  in  forming  a  correct  judgment 
of  the  wants  of  this  field,  and  in  prosecuting  her 
work  there.  After  her  return  home  she  continued  to 
agitate  the  subject  at  every  favorable  opportunity,  stren- 
uously urging  the  claims  and  the  needs  of  the  Texas 
chui'ches.  One  after  another  of  the  leaders  of  the  church 
took  up  the  cause,  and  the  force  of  missionaries  was  in- 
creased year  by  year,  until  Texas  had  a  Presbytery  of  her 
own. 

But  the  spirit  of  missions  had  not  died  within  her. 
During  her  stay  in  this  region  she  made  a  visit  to  the 
south-western  part  of  the  State.  While  there,  like  Paul 
at  Athens,  her  "  spirit  was  stirred  within"  her  when  she 
saw  the  country  given  up  to  Catholicism.  Its  mummeries 
and  superstitions,  its  ignorance,  its  Sabbath  desecration, 
and  its  entrenched  hold  upon  its  degraded  adherents — all 
these  things  produced  a  profound  impression  upon  her.  It 
was  her  first  contact  with  the  system  and  it  engendered  a 


30  LIFE   AND    LETTERS   OF 

repulsive  horror  which  never  forsook  her.  And  now  her  old 
yearning  to  deliver  misguided  souls  from  their  ignorance 
and  darkness — to  do  active  work  for  the  Master — returned 
upon  her  with  all  its  former  power  and  intensity.  "  Shall 
I  permit  these  people  to  perish  and  lift  no  hand  for  their 
deliverance  ?  God  saw  fit  to  prevent  me  from  going  to  a 
heathen  land  to  labor,  and  now  he  has  brought  me  face  to 
face  with  as  deep  a  destitution  of  vital  truth  as  exists  in 
many  parts  of  the  heathen  world.  Is  not  this  an  indica- 
tion that  he  wished  me  to  labor  here?  With  his  help  I 
will  do  what  I  can." 

With  this  purpose  in  view  she  addressed  a  letter  to  the 
Avriter — then  a  student  in  the  Seminary — asking  him  to 
join  her  in  a  mission  to  the  Gernuin  Catholics  of  South- 
western Texas.  This  mission  she  proposed  to  sustain  by 
her  ouii  efforts,  for  at  that  time  the  Synod  Avas  hardly 
])ressed  for  the  means  to  sustain  the  vital  enterprises  of  its 
home  work.  To  procure  the  money  necessary  to  support 
the  mission  she  proposed  to  labor  in  the  school-room  during 
the  week,  but  devoting  Saturday  and  Sabbath  to  active 
mission  work.  That  she  Avould  largely  have  succeeded  in 
supporting  the  mission  in  this  way  had  it  been  undertaken, 
few  question  who  were  aware  of  the  energy  and  persever- 
ance which  she  brought  to  bear  upon  the  accomplishment  of 
a  darling  purpose. 

But  the  plan  was  never  carried  out.  To  have  entered 
this  work  at  that  time  Avould  have  required  the  writer  to 
sacrifice  a  large  part  of  his  theological  education,  and  this 
his  wisest  friends  discouraged.  The  scheme  was,  therefore 
■eluctantly  abandoned. 

During  the  fall  of  the  same  year— 1873— the  Synod 
met  at  Mt.  Zion,  Mo.  The  delegate  from  the  U.  P.  Church 
warmly  urged  the  Synod  to  co-operate  with  that  body  in 


I 


MRS,    MARY   GALLOWAY   GIFFEN.  31 

the  work  of  missions,  saying  :  "  You  have  a  young  lady  wlio 
is  spoiling  for  a  mission."  His  impressions  in  this  res])ect 
were  derived  from  ISIrs.  Giffen's  "  Texas  Letters." 

In  the  following  year  a  very  decided  spirit  of  missions 
manifested  itself  throughout  the  church,  culminating  in 
the  formal  offer  of  Rev.  W.  A.  Wilson,  to  enter  the  for- 
eign field.  This  offer  was  eagerly  accepted  by  the  Board 
of  Missions,  and  Egypt,  a  field  of  co-o])erative  labor  with 
the  United  Presbyterian  church  was  selected  as  the  initial 
point  of  labor.  The  whole  church  hailed  this  step  with 
unfeigned  rejoicing  as  the  omen  of  a  better  and  brighter 
day  for  our  Zion,  feeling  that  our  reproach  among  the 
thousands  of  Israel  was  now  taken  away.  But  as  had  so 
often  happened  in  the  past,  so  now  the  church  was  doomed 
to  disappointment.  Unforeseen  family  affliction  compelled 
the  resignation  of  the  newly-appointed  missionaiy. 

The  history  of  the  mission  efforts  and  failures  of  the 
Associate  Reformed  Church  South  is  rather  a  curious  one. 
Verily  it  would  seem  that  God  severely  tried  the  faith  of 
the  church  in  this  matter.  About  the  year  1838,  the 
Synod  passed  an  order  requiring  all  her  congregations  to 
take  up  collections  for  Foreign  Missions.  The  first  effort 
was  to  co-operate  with  the  Reformed  Presbyterian  (Cove- 
nanter) Church  North,  in  their  missions  to  India,  by  giv- 
ing pecuniary  aid.  To  this  work  three  or  four  very  lib- 
eral donations  were  made,  in  acknowledgment  of  which 
some  of  their  heathen  converts  and  students  of  divinity 
wei-e  named  for  the  leading  members  of  the  Synod — viz. : 
John  Hemphill,  Wm.  Blackstocks,  and  Isaac  Grier. 

After  a  few  years  Synod  determined  to  establish  a  mis- 
sion of  her  own  in  Liberia,  and  for  this  purpose  appointed 
a  Board  of  Missions.  This  Board  deter  mimed  to  establish 
a  Mission  School  in  Libeiia,  and  through  Rev.  W.  R.  Hemp- 


32  LIFE   AND    LETTERS   OF 

hill  held  a  correspondence  with  a  Mr.  Erskine,  colored,  of  the 
North,  but  without  accomplishing  any  results.  They  then 
employed  a  Mr.  AVare,  colored,  of  Liberia,  to  teach  their 
mission  school.  This  resulted  in  failure  either  compara- 
tive or  complete.  It  was  then  resolved  to  educate  a  col- 
ored minister  for  the  Liberiau  mission.  In  response  to  a 
call  to  the  "  pious  and  liberal  of  the  church  to  furnish 
suitable  persons  to  be  educated,"  Dr.  Geo.  W.  Pressly,  Mr. 
James  Robinson  and  the  Misses  Murphy  each  devoted  a  boy. 
After  a  short  trial.  Rev.  N.  M.  Gordon,  to  whom  they  had 
been  committed  for  education,  sent  them  all  back  as  incom- 
petent, both  mentally  and  morally.  About  the  year  1848, 
Revs.  Messrs.  W.  W.  Patton  and  J.  M.  Young  were  sent 
out  to  explore  Texas.  At  this  time  Texas  was  regarded 
as  a  foreign  field.  On  horseback  they  traversed  Texas  in 
every  direction  for  several  months.  This  resulted  in  send- 
ing out  Rev.  W.  M.  Sharp,  who  proceeded  to  Brenham, 
Texas,  and  there  endeavored  to  establish  a  mission.  But 
like  the  others  this  also  failed. 

Succeeding  these  efforts  and  failures  the  church,  for 
some  time,  was  nuich  engaged  in  bootless  discussions  and 
dissentions  on  "  The  Marriage  Question,"  "  Union  "  with 
the  G.  A.  Presbyterians  South,  to  the  great  detriment  of 
her  missionary  zeal  and  effbrt.  During  the  next  ten  years 
Home  Missions  gained  the  ascendancy. 

But  in  the  year  1858,  a  permanent  Board  of  Foreign 
Missions  was  established,  which  entered  actively  and  spir- 
itedly upon  their  work.  Egypt  and  South  America  were 
the  fields  prominently  before  the  Board,  a  majority  favoring 
Egypt-  When  arrangements  were  well  nigh  completed 
for  putting  workers  into  the  field,  "  the  war  between  the 
States"  effectually  suspended  operations.  When  this  un- 
happy struggle  was  terminated,  the  Church   was  so  pros- 


AfKS.    MARY   CALLOWAY    fUFFF.V.  33 

trated  by  its  results  that  for  a  Haifa  score  of  years  it  could 
barely  stagger  along  under  the  burden  of  its  own  inunedi- 
atc  necessities.  And  when  its  mission  spirit  revived  again 
in  1874,  it  experienced  another  keen  disappointment. 


chaptp:r  III. 

OFFERS  HERSELF  TO  THE  BOARD — IS  ACCEPTED — FARE- 
WELL MEETINGS — JOURNEY  TO  PHILADELPHIA — 
EMBARKATION. 

The  retirement  of  Rev.  Mr.  AVilson  still  left  the  church 
without  a  missionary.  The  attention  f)f  the  Board  was 
then  centered  on  Mrs.  GifFen.  Early  in  the  fall  of  1874 
Dr.  Bonner,  then  Secretary  of  the  Board  of  Foreign  Mis- 
sions, held  a  conference  Avith  her  in  regard  to  offering 
herself  as  a  missionary.  As  President  of  the  Due  West 
Female  College  he  had  been  her  teacher  during  the  last 
months  of  her  college  life,  and  thoroughly  understood  her 
nature  and  capacity.  He  was  also  a  very  warm  personal 
friend.  In  this  conference  all  his  powers  of  persuasive 
earnestness  as  well  as  his  great  personal  influence  were 
brought  to  bear  to  induce  a  decision  favorable  to  missions. 
It  should  be  stated  that  in  this  conference  Dr.  Bonner 
was  not  acting  as  the  official  representative  of  the  Board, 
although  it  was  aware  of  and  approved  his  action. 

But  she  seemed  disinclined  to  offer  herself,  most  probably 
because  of  the  fact  that  the  Church  had  no  missionaries  in 
the  field,  and  being  a  frail  Avoman  shrank  from  the  respons- 
ibility of  being  the  "  pioneer  missionary,"  and  because  of 


34  LIFE    AND    I>ETTER8   OF 

the  fact  tnat  the  church  preferred  to  send  out  a  man  as 
her  "  first  missiouary."  She  felt  that  if  the  sequel  proved 
that  she  had  a  call  to  go  and  teach  in  a  heathen  land  the 
call  would  come  to  her  in  a  more  formal  way,  from  the 
authorities  of  the  church.  This  would  relieve  her  from 
all  appearance  of  self-seeking,  of  thrusting  herself  on  the 
church,  for  she  was  well  aware  of  its  preference.  But 
with  all  these  influences  brought  to  bear  on  her  we  may 
be  sure  the  fire  burned  hotly  within.  Day  by  day  and 
week  by  week  she  waited  to  see  what  God  had  in  store  for 
her.  It  was  no  light  thing  for  her  highly  sensitive  and 
deeply  affectionate  nature  to  leave  all,  country  and  friends, 
father  and  mother — all  that  life  holds  that  is  dear  to  a 
woman's  heart,  to  enter  a  mission  of  another  church,  and 
that  church  entirely  confined  to  a  diflferent  section  of  the 
country,  and  to  be  wholly  thrown  with  persons  not  one  of 
whom  she  had  ever  seen  or  known  ;  to  stand  upon  the 
threshold  of  a  new  and  strange  life,  filled  with  hardship 
and  self-denial,  in  a  semi-heathen  land,  that  land  seven 
thousand  miles  away  and  two  oceans  rolling  between,  and 
only  a  frail,  lonely  woman — such  a  situation  Avould  bring 
up  questionings  deep  and  solemn. 

But  the  call  did  come,  and  with  a  clearness  and  force 
Avhich  swept  down  all  obstacles.  In  December,  1874,  two 
months  after  this  conference.  Dr.  J.  B.  Dales,  Secretary  of 
the  Board  of  Foreign  INIissions  of  the  United  Presbyterian 
Church  of  N.A.,  addressed  a  communication  to  Dr.  Bonner, 
Secretary  of  the  Board  of  Missions  of  the  Associate  Re- 
formed Church  South,  stating  that  his  Board  would  soon  send 
out  two  young  men  to  the  field  in  Egypt,  and  asking  if  the 
Church  South  had  not  some  one  whom  it  was  willing  to 
send  to  the  same  field,  and  urging  in  a  very  cordial  way  if 
the  Synod  Avould  not  co-operate  with  them  in  their  Foreign 


MRS.    MAKY    f;Al-l,<1AVAY    Oil  FEX.  35 

Mission  work.  AVith  this  letter  in  his  hand,  Dr.  Bonner 
immediately  paid  Mrs.  Giffen  a  visit,  and  warmly  nrged 
her  to  offer  herself  and  go  in  company  with  these  newly- 
appointed  missionaries  to  the  Egyj^tian  field.  She  answered 
that  if  "  it  was  the  eoncnrrent  wish  of  the  Board,"  she 
would  willingly  go.  The  time  was  short,  a  meeting  Avas 
called  that  day  and  she  was  unanimously  appointed. 

This  appointment  was  heartily  endorsed  by  a  large  ma- 
jority of  the  Church,  and  especially  did  it  kindle  the  zeal 
and  enthusiasm  of  the  noble  women  of  the  Church,  and 
they  held  up  her  hands  with  a  sympathy  and  devotion 
worthy  of  all  honor.  But  there  were  a  few  cavillers  who 
said :  "  Why  all  this  excitement  and  enthusiasm ;  it  is 
only  a  woman.  Why  send  her ;  she  can't  preach  the  Gos- 
pel ? "  This  last  remark  once  happened  to  be  made  in  the 
presence  of  Dr.  Jas.  P.  Pressly.  He  instantly  replied  : 
"  Indeed  she  will." 

As  the  time  for  her  departure  drew  near  the  Board 
arranged  for  a  series  of  "  Farewell  jNIeetings "  in  the 
vicinity  and  along  the  route  until  the  limits  of  the  Church 
were  passed.  The  object  of  these  meetings  was  to  create 
an  interest  and  excite  an  enthusiasm  for  the  person  of  the 
missionary  and  her  work.  But  they  were  a  fearful  ordeal 
for  the  missionary. 

The  most  noteworthy  of  these  occurred  in  Due  West, 
the  home  of  Mrs.  Giffen,  and  was  reported  in  the  succeed- 
ing issue  of  the  Presbyterian,  part  of  which  report  is  here 
given : 

FAREWELL    MEETING   AT    DUE    WEST. 

This  meeting  came  off  on  Wednesday  night  of  last  week, 
the  27th  of  January.  A  more  affecting  scene  we  have 
never  witnessed,  unless  it  was  in  a  case  where  a  catastrophe 
or  h  death  was  involved.     A  procession  was  formed  on  the 


36  LIFE    AND    LETTERS   OF 

street,  headed  by  Dr.  Grier  and  members  of  the  Mission- 
ary Society  of  the  Female  College,  then  by  the  officers  and 
members  of  the  Board  of  Foreign  Missions,  the  officers 
and  male  members  of  the  Missionary  Society  of  Due 
West,  fallowed  by  the  Missionary  and  the  committee  of 
ladies  who  had  been  appointed  to  accompany  her  that 
night,  then  by  the  lady  members  of  the  Due  West  Mis- 
sionary Society,  then  by  students  and  citizens.  In  a  few 
moments  the  church  was  crowded  from  the  jjulpit  back  to 
the  doors,  with  a  considerable  number  of  both  whites  and 
colored  in  the  gallery.  The  officers  of  the  Board  and  of 
the  Due  West  Missionary  Society,  the  professors  and  the 
speakers  took  tlieir  seats  in  the  oi)en  space  near  the  pulpit, 
while  immediately  in  front  of  them  in  the  first  pew  the 
missionary  and  her  attendants  arranged  themselves.  The 
first  thing  that  attracted  the  attention  of  the  audience  on 
taking  their  seats  were  the  writing  and  other  significant 
characters  which  were  seen  upon  the  wall  above  the  pulpit. 
In  crimson  capital  letters  were,  "  Lo,  I  am  with  you 
alwav,"  in  a  semi-circle,  encased  in  a  beautiful  wreath.  Be- 
neath this  there  was  the  representation  of  a  shield,  not  the 
word.  On  the  left  were  the  words, "  Take  the  " — on  the  right, 
"  of  faith,"  so  that  it  read,  "  Take  the  shield  of  faith." 
AVithin  the  lines  indicating  the  shield  were  in  gilt  letters, 
"  M.  E.  Galloway,  our  first  missionary."  Below  this  was 
the  word  "  Farewell,"  in  large  illuminated  letters. 

The  duty  of  presiding  over  the  meeting  was  assigned  to 
Dr.  Boyce,  chairman  of  the  Board  of  Foreign  Missions. 
The  exercises  were  opened  by  singing  a  part  of  the  45th 
P^HJ.ni;  the  following  being  one  of  the  verses : 

"  O  daughter  take  good  heed, 

Incline  and  give  good  ear, 
Thon  must  forget  thy  kindred  all,  • 

And  father's  house  most  dear." 


MRS.    MARY   GALLOWAY   GIFFEN.  87 

Dr.  J.  P.  Pressly  then  offered  an  appropriate  antl  an  af- 
fecting prayer.  The  chairman  of  the  Board  of  Foreign 
Missions  then  addressed  the  missionary. 

The  address  of  the  chairman  was  followed  by  that  of 
Kev.  W.  L.  Pressly,  pastor,  in  his  own  behalf,  and  in  that 
of  the  congregation.  It  was  peculiarly  touching  and  af- 
fecting. 

Then  followed  addresses  and  resolutions  by  the  pupils  of 
the  female  college,  and  the  students  of  the  seminary.  Rev. 
J.  0.  Lindsay,  of  the  Old  School  Presbyterian  church,  then 
forcibly  and  eloquently  presented  the  encouragements  to 
mission  work,  and  was  followed  by  the  farewell  address  of 
the  missionary,  written  by  Mrs.  M.  A.  Lindsay,  and  read 
by  Rev.  AV.  M.  Grier,  D.  D. : 

THE  MISSIONARY'S  FAEEWELL. 

"  Yet  once  more  bless  me,  father. 

With  tender  words  of  love. 
They'll  often  soothe  and  comfort 

When  far  away  I  rove  ; 
And  whether  yon  or  I  shall  first 

Death's  narrow  stream  pass  o'er, 
'Tis  sweet  to  know  that  we  will  meet 

On  the  eternal  shore. 
Then  bid  me  go  in  peace,  father. 

His  wondrous  love  to  tell. 
And  may  He  be  your  guide  and  stay. 

Farewell !  Farewell ! 

Call  me  your  own  dear  child,  mother, 

And  fold  me  to  your  breast. 
The  sweetest  place  in  all  the  world. 

For  wearied  heads  to  rest. 
Your  heart  is  throbbing  sore,  mother, 

And  mine  is  filleil  with  pain, 


38  LIFE   AND   LETTERS   OF 

How  will  it  often  yearn  to  see 
This  dear,  dear  face  again  ! 

My  mother  :  what  you  are  to  me 
No  faltering  lip  can  tell ; 

Yet  I  mnst  go.     My  mother  dear, 
Farewell !  Farewell ! 

Brothers,  true-hearted,  loyal  ones, 

Your  sisters'  joy  and  pride, 
I've  watched  you  grew  to  manhood. 

Three  brothers,  side  by  side. 
Ye,  too,  will  leave  the  parent  roof, 

Yet  on  and  upward  press. 
And  though  you  meet  with  loss  and  cross 

Our  father's  God  will  bless. 
Perhaps — nay,  'tis  too  sweet  a  hope — 

That  one  of  you  may  dwell 
With  your  sister  in  the  lieathen  land. 

Farewell !  Farewell ! 

Sisters,  you'll  often  miss  me. 

And  bitter  tears  will  shed. 
Almost  as  if  the  exile 

Were  numbered  with  the  dead. 
Yet  not  too  sadly  mourn  me. 

Our  parents  you  will  cheer. 
You'll  help  them  every  burden 

And  every  grief  to  bear. 
Sweet  memories  will  haunt  us, 

Like  Ocean's  murmuring  shell, 
And  we  in  dreams  will  often  meet. 

Farewell !  Farewell ! 

My  home,  excepting  God's  own  courts, 
No  other  spot  so  sweet. 
__     My  church,  within  whose  sacred  shrine 
Heaven  bends  our  souls  to  greet. 
My  friends — oh  bear  me  in  your  hearts  ; 
If  you  will  for  me  pray. 


MRS.    MARY   GALLOWAY   GIFFEN.  39 

Then  I  sliall  go  from  "  strengtli  to  strengtli 

Rejoicing  on  my  way." 
My  native  land — no  other  clime 

May  wield  my  magic  spell, 
And  nntil  death  I'll  cherish  thee. 

Farewell!  Farewell!" 

Dr.  Bonner,  in  behalf  of  the  missionary,  tenderly  re- 
turned thanks  to  the  audience  for  the  interest  manifested 
in  the  missionary  personally,  and  in  the  cause  which  she 
represented,  and  asked  that  jDrayer  might  continually  be 
made  for  her  that  she  might  be  sustained  in  her  distant 
field,  and  a  "  wide  and  effectual  door  opened  "  for  her,  in 
her  labors  for  the  Master. 

The  impressive  ceremonies  were  then  concluded  by 
prayer,  and  singing  these  words  : 

The  Lord  thee  keeps,  the  Lord  thy  sliade 

On  thy  right  hand  doth  stay  ; 
The  moon  by  night  thee  shall  not  smite, 

Nor  yet  the  sun  by  day. 

The  Lord  shall  keep  thy  soul ;  he  shall 

Preserve  thee  from  all  ill. 
Henceforth  thy  going  out  and  in 

God  keep  forever  will. 

THE   PARTING. 

"  The  programme,  with  one  exception,  was  now  filled  up, 
and  tha-t  was  the  most  touching  part  of  all — the  leave- 
taking,  the  bidding  adieu,  the  last  kiss,  the  last  embrace. 
As  one  crowd  after  another  of  men,  women  and  children, 
of  Seminary  students,  and  of  students  in  the  male  and 
female  colleges,  of  classmates  and  other  friends,  came  for- 
ward to  bid  farewell  with  the  missionary — some  pronounc- 
ing blessings  upon  her,  others  taking  their  leave  with  long 

c 


40  LIFE   AND   LETTERS   OP 

and  tender  embraces,  others  with  tears  in  their  eyes,  and 
air  looking  sorrowful,  the  scene  became  so  affecting  as  to 
move  the  stoutest  heart." 

For  himself  the  writer  would  say  that  he  never  wit- 
nessed or  passed  through  a  similar  scene.  There  are  some 
occasions  in  life  when  we  witness  and  experience  emotions 
which  no  pen  can  portray.  This  was  one  of  those  in- 
stances. The  awful  silence  was  unbroken  save  by  the  voice 
of  the  speaker,  and  here  and  there  a  sui^pressed  sob.  A 
great  weight  seemed  to  be  jiressing  down  upon  the  souls  of 
all,  and  men  and  women  sat  in  their  pews  in  a  crushed  and 
hopeless  way.  When  the  interest  of  the  occasion  reached 
its  culmination,  there  were  few  faces  in  that  large  assembly 
that  did  not  bear  traces  of  recent  tears.  And  when  the 
audience  broke  up  and  found  their  way  out  into  the  cool 
night  air  they  looked  like  men  shaking  off  the  incubus  of 
some  fearful  nightmare.  I  hope  never  again  while  life 
lasts  to  pass  through  such  a  scene  or  experience  similar 
feelings. 

It  was  during  the  solemn  and  impressive  services  of  this 
meeting  that  Kev.  N.  E.  Pressly,  now  missionary  to  Mexico, 
formed  the  high  and  holy  purpose  to  devote  his  life  to  the 
mission  cause. 

Perhaps  of  all  present  Mrs.  Giffen  shed  not  a  tear.  She 
sat  rigid  and  stony-faced,  as  if  feeling  were  dead,  and  hope 
perished.     Two  years  afterward  she  said  : 

"  To-night  is  the  second  anniversary  of  the  farewell 
meeting  at  home.  I  wonder  if  any  of  you  will  remember 
it.  The  recollection  of  that  night  always  throws  a  shadow 
over  my  feelings.  I  do  not  think  any  one  in  this  mission 
was  ever  just  so  situated  except  Mrs.  Lansing,  and  there- 
fore this  one  was  not  just  like  other  farewell  missionary 
meetings.     There  were  moments  while  it  was  in  progress 


MRS.    MARY   GALLOWAY   GIFFEN.  41 

when  it  t^eenicd  that  human  nature  couhl  not  bear  any  more, 
and  I  noAV  feel  that  if  a  visit  home  had  to  be  purchased  at 
the  expense  of  such  another  leave-taking,  I  -would  freely 
choose  never  to  go  home.  I  have  often  felt  that  as  for  as 
earth  is  concerned,  I  have  experienced  what  it  is  to  die." 

The  next  day — January  28th,  1875, — brought  the  last 
day  of  her  stay  under  her  father's  roof,  and  she  passed 
out  over  the  threshold  for  the  last  time  on  earth.  The 
parting  with  the  family  was  as  sad  and  heart-breaking  as 
such  scenes  can  ever  be.  When  she  bade  her  mother  and 
brothers  and  sisters  farewell,  she  hoped  some  day  to  take 
them  by  the  hand  once  more,  and  look  again  into  their 
dear  faces.  But  when  she  bade  her  ftither  farewell,  she  knew 
that  it  was  for  the  last  time,  and  that  she  would  never  see 
him  again  until  they  met  before  the  throne  al)ove.  What 
she  suffered  in  these  moments  Avhen  she  looked  for  the  last 
time  upon  the  scenes  of  her  youth,  her  friends,  her  home 
and  her  family  we  may  never  know.  Her  pale  face  and 
set  features  showed  something  of  the  severity  of  the  strug- 
gle, and  she  afterward  tells  us  that  in  these  moments  she 
"experienced  what  it  was  to  die."  But  before  this  the 
cost  had  been  counted,  and  the  sacrifice  measured,  and  now 
her  face  was  resolutely  turned  toward  the  East. 

On  the  morning  of  the  28th  of  January,  1875,  the  mis- 
sionary party  began  their  journey  to  Philadelphia,  to  meet 
Mrs.  Giffen  and  Alexander,  and  there  embark  for  Alex- 
andria. Mrs.  Giflfen  was  accompanied  by  Dr.  Bonner, 
secretary  of  the  Board,  and  by  her  brother.  A  series  of 
farewell  meetings  and  receptions  to  the  party  had  been  ar- 
ranged all  along  the  route.  Every  mark  of  honor  and 
kindness  that  could  be  bestowed  on  Mrs.  Giffen,  both  by 
the  citizens  of  her  home  and  along  the  way  was  freely 
manifested.     In  Newberry,   the   place   of  her   birth,  her 


42  LIFE   AND    LETTERS   OF 

father's  old  friends  received  her  as  if  she  had  been  their 
own  child.  Her  father's  old  slaves,  in  procession,  escorted 
her  to  the  depot  on  her  departure,  and  overwhelmed  her 
with  their  demonstrations  of  sincere  affection,  creating  a 
scene  rarely  witnessed  in  the  streets.  In  Winnsboro,  the 
home  of  her  eldest  brother,  a  reception  was  also  tendered, 
Avhile  that  held  in  Charlotte,  N.  C,  closed  the  series. 
These  meetings  were  very  trying  and  exhausting  to  Mrs. 
Giffen,  but  since  they  were  deemed  essential  to  the  good  of 
the  cause  were  endured  with  patience  and  fortitude.  In- 
deed with  regard  to  the  entire  journey.  Dr.  Bonner,  who 
had  contributed  so  much  to  her  comfort  and  encourage- 
ment, writes :  "  Miss  Galloway  bears  the  trial  of  leaving 
home  and  friends  and  country,  with  a  brave  heart  and  is 
contented  and  cheerful."  But  along  the  route  the  writer 
often  detected  Mrs.  Giffen  looking  first  at  one,  and  then  the 
other  of  our  party  in  a  very  unusual  way.  Her  glance 
was  so  clinging  and  piercing  that  she  seemed  to  be  graving 
upon  her  inmost  soul  every  line  and  feature  of  our  faces, 
that  nothing  might  ever  be  able  to  mar  the  faithfulness  of 
the  image,  putting  "  memory  on  its  honor,"  that  the  im- 
pression might  be  as  lasting  as  its  own  immortal  self 

In  Philadelphia  our  party  was  received  and  entertained 
at  the  hospitable  home  of  Rev.  J.  B.  Dales,  and  during  our 
entire  stay  were  the  recipients  of  much  distinguished  kind- 
ness. Here  the  entire  missionary  party  assembled.  The 
time  and  place  of  sailing  having  been  changed,  the  party 
on  the  9th  of  February  proceeded  to  Jersey  City  to  be  in 
readiness  for  departure  on  the  morning  of  the  following 
day.     Here  Mrs.  Giffen  was  joined  by  her  eldest  brother. 

The  eventful  morning  of  the  10th  dawned  clear  and  bit- 
terly cold,  the  river  full  of  ice,  and  the  incoming  ocean 
steamers  encrusted  with  ice  to  the  topmost  spar.     But  by 


MRP.    MARY    GALLOWAY    GIFFEN.  43 

eight  o'clock  all  were  on  board,  the  s^ad  parting  over,  the 
hawsers  cast  off,  and  the  prow  of  the  ship  turned  to  the 
ocean.  As  the  steamer  rounded  the  point  at  Castle  Gar- 
den, Mrs.  Giffen  came  on  deck,  waved  a  last  farcAvell,  and 
we  saw  her  no  more.  We  remained  on  the  pier  until  the 
black  hull  vanished  in  the  distance,  and  then  turned  sadly 
away  and  left  the  deserted  wharf.  And  now  my  imagina- 
tion pictures  that  black  iron  ship  as  some  monster  bearing 
her  away  to  some  unknown  and  undiscoverable  country. 
To-day  is  seven  years  since,  and  of  the  three  who  made  the 
journey  together  to  that  ship's  side  two  "  are  not" — the 
Master  called  them  and  they  have  gone  to  be  with  Him. 
"  And  I  only  am  left  alone  to  tell  thee." 

Her  last  message  to  her  mother,  from  the  ship's  side  was, 
"  I  am  afraid  I  will  never  write  you  again  from  America, 
and  if  I  would  I  could  weep  an  ocean  of  tears,  but  I  do 
not.  Think  of  me  every  day,  and  write  me  long  letters, 
May  God  watch  over  us  all,  and  keep  us  together  in  spirit 
here,  and  forever  together  hereafter.  All  loving  thoughts 
to  each  one,  and  a  long  affectionate  farewell." 


CHAPTER  IV. 

MRS.    GIFFEN's  first  LETTER — THE   VOY'AGE. 

"Last  ties  are  hard  to  be  broken,  last  words  hard  to  be 
spoken,  and  last  farewells  hard  to  be  taken.  They  either 
cut  deep,  long  gashes,  and  leave  the  torn  trembling  fibres 
to  ache  and  quiver  for  long  days  afterward,  or  they  turn 
you  into  stone.     Perhaps  there  are  few  in  this  wide  world 


44  LIFE   AND    LETTERS   OF 

who  have  not  experienced  something  of  one  or  l^oth  these 
forms  of  a  great  sorrow  ;  few  who  would  not  give  some 
real  sympathy  to  one  who  looked  into  dear  faces  Avith  only 
this  one  distinct  consciousness,  that  it  might  he  for  the  last 
time.  Leaving  home  and  friends  is  or  may  be  very  sor- 
rowful on  land,  but  when  oceans  are  to  roll  between,  all 
that  is  sad  in  the  one  is  intensified  in  the  other.  And 
when  you  come  suddenly  around  some  angle  and  there 
stands  out  before  you  the  gloomy  old  ship  which  only 
seems  Avaiting  to  carry  you  away,  how  the  current  seems 
to  stand  still  in  your  veins,  how  the  heart  seems  to  refuse 
its  accustomed  throbbings,  and  how  many  sad  old  stories 
of  these  remorseless  seas  come  trooping  through  your 
quivering  brain.  There  stands  the  black  old  hull,  which 
in  a  moment  of  little  faith  you  tell  yourself  may  go  down 
with  you  a  thousand  fathoms  deej)  into  ocean  caves ; 
there  are  the  masts  and  spars  where  the  storm  king  may 
revel ;  and  there  the  sails  and  rigging  where  the  lightnings 
may  leap,  and  where  over  all  the  mad  waves  may  roll  and 
toss  and  lash  you  in  blind  fury. 

So  ominously  loomed  up  the  Cuba,  in  our  sad  imagina- 
tion, as  she  stood  in  New  York  harbor  on  the  evening  of 
the  0th  of  February.  Ungenerously,  no  doubt,  Ave  could 
not  resist  the  inclination  to  clothe  her  Avith  a  living  per- 
sonality, a  hard,  unfeeling,  revengeful  personality.  And 
more  horrible  than  all,  is  the  idea  Avhich  fills  your  mind 
at  first  sight  of  Avhat  might  be  called  the  genius  of  the 
ship — its  "  ma.st  head  figure."  How  terrible  to  make  it  a 
woman,  a  frail,  helpless  girl,  forever  hanging  there  over 
the  rolling  sea.  There  she  clings  tightly  with  one  hand  to 
the  ship,  Avhile  her  Avaving  hair  and  floAving  robes  bloAV  on 
always  in  the  breeze.  With  one  glance  aloft  and  a  laugh 
on  her  lips  she  seems  forever  defying  the  sea. 


MRS.   MARY   GALLOWAY   GIFPEN.  45 

How  sorrowfully  we  felt  as  we  crossed  the  gangway  into 
the  ship !  To  us  it  was  indeed  a  "  bridge  of  sighs  " — with 
a  gulf  below  which  we  felt  we  might  never  re-cross.  And 
when  the  last  word  was  spoken  and  the  last  kiss  taken, 
how  keenly  we  felt  that  all  ivas  over.  How  much  it 
seemed  as  if  the  church-yard  breeze  were  blowing  over  us, 
how  much  as  if  we  had  seen  and  felt  our  own  self  laid 
gently  down  in  our  last  quiet  home,  had  heard  that  terri- 
ble first  shovelful  of  earth  fall  heavily  on  the  boards 
above,  had  seen  the  red  heap  outside  grow  gradually  less 
and  the  deep  vault  fill  slowly  up,  till,  smoothed  and  sol- 
emnly shaped,  the  last  footfall  had  departed  and  left  it  for 
the  springing  grass  and  the  falling  showers. 

But  the  leave-taking  in  the  ship  was  not  altogether  the 
last.  With  a  heart  full  of  all  sad  thoughts  we  went  up  on 
deck  to  see  the  last  of  what  was  really  a  beautiful  pros- 
pect spread  out  around  us.  We  had  supposed  you  all 
gone,  that  no  doubt  you  were  by  that  time  away  ujj  on 
Broadway,  but  to  our  great  joy  there  you  were,  all  three, 
still  on  the  wharf  How  uninteresting  then  was  all  New 
York  spread  out  around  us,  how  oblivious  we  were  of  that 
brilliant  sun  gilding  a  harbor  full  of  rolling  ice,  how  en- 
tirely forgetful  of  all  save  the  one  warm  thought  that  those 
who  were  now  the  embodiment  of  all  that  I  knew  or  loved 
on  earth  still  stood  on  the  wharf,  still  looked  after  us,  still 
had  me  in  their  hearts.  And  though  there  did  spring  up 
a  great  longing  to  know  your  thoughts,  thrust  back  by 
the  remembrance  that  we  could  speak  to  each  other  no 
more,  still  it  was  the  one  bright  spot,  the  one  happy  mo- 
ment in  that  miserable  morning.  And  its  brightness  and 
quiet  joy  have  not  faded  out  yet.  Though  we  could  but 
exchange  feeble  signals,  yet  how  full  they  were  of  mean- 
ing and  how  they  cheered  me  up  and  gave  me  new  hope 
and  vigor  for  our  long  journey. 


46  LIFE   AND    LETTERS   OF 

We  stayed  on  the  hurricane  deck  most  of  the  morning, 
two  of  our  party  seeming  intensely  interested  in  getting 
the  last  sight  of  their  country.  In  the  afternoon  we  came 
doAvn  to  the  cabin,  gathered  around  one  table,  took  our 
first  dinner  on  board,  and  spent  the  evening  in  cheerful, 
pleasant  conversation,  though  about  nine  most  of  us  felt 
decidedly  called  upon  to  look  up  rather  more  private 
quarters.  By  morning  the  tossing  had  increased  and  the 
moans  and  groans  of  sick  passengers  were  rather  doleful. 
Two  of  our  party  have  escaped  entirely  or  almost  so.  Miss 
McD.  has  not  missed  a  meal,  but  her  com2iagnou  de  voyage 
has  not  fared  so  nicely.  Thursday  Mr.  A.  and  myself 
wei'e  ever  so  sick,  and  towards  night  it  commenced  blow- 
ing quite  a  gale.  That  of  course  increased  our  distress, 
and  all  night  long  we  could  do  nothing  but  lament  our 
miserable  condition,  while  we  did  our  best  to  hold  our- 
selves in  our  berths.  It  was  indeed  a  "rough  night." 
Every  movable  thing  in  the  ship  tossed  and  slided,  slided 
and  tossed,  rattling  and  clattering  back  and  forth,  up  and 
down  the  whole  night  long ;  and  the  poor  sick  passengers 
felt  that  life  anywhere,  so  it  w^as  but  on  land,  would  be  un- 
mixed happiness.  You  may  guess  how  deeply  we  sympa- 
thized with  the  man  who  declared  while  sea-sick  that  he  had 
but  two  purposes  in  life.  One,  to  set  his  foot  on  terra  firma 
once  more,  and  the  other  to  find  the  man  who  wrote  "Life 
on  the  Ocean  Wave."  Seriously,  it  is  no  laughing  matter 
to  be  shut  up  in  a  state-room,  crammed  into  a  miserable 
little  berth,  shut  out  from  the  light,  and  with  no  breath  of 
fresh  air,  while  you  are  just  sure  you  never  were  so  sick  in 
your  life  before.  If  we  had  been  on  a  j^leasure  excursion 
things  would  have  looked  pretty  blue.  As  it  was,  we  tried 
to  remember  that  even  if  we  should  be  sick  all  the  way, 
even  eleven  days  would  come  to  an  end  sometime,  and  that 


MRS.    MARY   GALLOWAY   GTFFEN.  47 

this  was  one  of  things  avc  were  to  bear  for  Christ's  sake. 
But  it  wasn't  a  pleasant  night  even  for  the  few  who  have 
not  been  sick  at  all.  We  were  all  the  time  "shipping  seas," 
as  they  say,  wave  after  wave  dashing  clear  over  the  decks, 
and  during  part  of  the  night  the  whole  stern  of  the  vessel 
was  M/;rfer  ?mto',  compelling  them  to  "lie  to"  or  "heave 
to "  for  a  couple  of  hours.  This  Avouldn't  have  added 
anything  to  our  comfort  if  we  had  known  it,  but  of  course 
we  did  not  know  it,  and  I  venture  there  is  not  a  soul  on 
board,  among  the  passengers,  I  mean,  who  has  felt  the 
least  sensation  of  uneasiness  or  want  of  safety  since  we  left 
New  York.  Of  course  there  may  be  losses  at  sea  in  the 
safest  and  most  careful  of  lines,  but  then  there  are  ac- 
cidents at  home  ;  danger  and  death  may  come  into  your 
fireside,  but  He  who  made  the  sea  and  holds  it  in  the 
hollow  of  His  hand  can  rule  the  storm  and  guide  the  waves. 
Towards  evening  on  Friday  the  weather  grew  milder 
and  the  sailing  smoother,  and  Saturday  morning  our  good 
friends  dragged  us  out  and  up  into  the  air,  albeit  it  was 
"  a  hard  pill  to  swallow,"  for  sixty  hours  of  intense  suffer- 
ing left  us  very  weak  indeed.  The  day  was  fine  though, 
and  we  gathered  up  a  little  strength.  Some  of  our  pas- 
sengers are  now  on  their  seventeenth  voyage,  while  there 
are  only  a  few  like  ourselves  who  have  never  crossed  be- 
fore. All  agree,  however,  that  if  it  is  possible  they  will 
never  try  it  again  in  February,  for  though  we  have  made 
good  progress,  owing  to  the  fact  that  the  wind  has  nearly 
always  been  in  our  favor,  it  has  nevertheless  been,  on  the 
Avhole,  a  rough  voyage.  Saturday  night  we  noticed  a 
steward  putting  a  heavy  iron  bar  across  the  cabin  doors  at 
the  stern,  and  fastening  it  down  with  heavy  wedges.  One 
of  the  gentlemen  inquired  the  reason.  He  said  that  a 
month  ago  perhaps,  on  the  last  voyage  from  New  York  to 


48  LIFE   AND    LETTERS   OF 

Liverpool,  a  heavy  gale  was  blowing  and  the  ship  was  run- 
ning before  the  wind  at  full  speed,  sixteen  knots  per  hour. 
But  the  waves  ran  faster  still  and  finally  they  "  stove  in  " 
these  cabin  doors,  tore  away  the  "  break-waters,"  rushed 
down  the  cabin,  and  the  water  was  one  and  a  half  feet 
deep  on  the  state-room  floor.  The  fireman  shoveled  the  coal 
into  the  engines  standing  in  water  waist  deep,  and  all  that 
saved  the  Cuba  from  going  down  was  that  the  guards  on 
the  main  decks  gave  way  and  let  the  Avater  out  in  that 
way.  That  was  rather  a  rough  experience  but  the  Cuba 
is  afloat  yet,  and  now  they  make  the  cabin  doors  sure 
every  night  against  a  repetition  of  such  an  undesirable  oc- 
currence. 

In  bad  weather  on  shipboard  it  is  apt  to  be  right 
dreary,  at  least  for  the  first  three  or  four  days,  but  I  don't 
think  one  remembers  the  discomforts  of  a  voyage  long 
after  it  is  over.  We,  two  of  us  at  least,  have  no  reason  to 
entertain  particularly  delightful  recollections  of  the  sea ; 
indeed  while  we  were  shut  up  down  in  our  "  lower  re- 
gions," as  we  call  the  state-room  domains,  we  felt  well 
convinced  that  if  ever  we  got  over  to  Egypt  we  should 
certainly  stay  there,  for  the  idea  of  crossing  this  old  ocean 
again  was  not  to  be  entertained  for  a  moment,  but  with 
returning  health  we  felt  decidedly  braver. 

Sabbath  morning  dawned  beautifully  bright  and  clear, 
and,  after  breakfast,  Bibles  and  prayer  books  were  distrib- 
uted through  the  cabin,  a  desk  was  arranged,  passengers 
stewards,  sailors,  and  steerage  passengers  were  all  assem- 
bled, and  the  captain  went  through  the  English  service  in 
quite  an  impressive  manner.  It  really  seemed  more  like 
Sabbath  than  one  might  expect  at  sea.  After  service  every- 
body betook  himself  to  the  deck  except  our  party.  AVe 
produced  our  little  stock  of  books  and  thought  and  spoke 


MRS.    MARY   GALLOWAY   OIFFEN.  49 

of  how  inaiiy  at  lioiiie  were  thinking  of  and  praying  for 
ns ;  they  in  the  churches  at  home  and  we  "  on  the  rolling- 
deep."  Our  Sabbath  passed  quietly  away,  but  towards 
night  another  gale  si)rang  up,  and  another  sleepless  night 
came  on.  Monday  morning  it  was  raining  and  storming, 
great  waves  dashing  entirely  over  us  and  lashing  us  on  all 
sides.  Only  one  portion  of  a  door  could  be  kept  open  on 
the  lee-side  of  the  vessel,  and  oh  what  a  dearth  there  was 
of  fresh  air.  But  it  was  well  worth  being  sea-sick,  well 
worth  clinging  to  door  facings  and  swinging  to  hand-rail- 
ings to  get  one  glance  at  that  magnificent  sea.  It  was  an 
ocean  of  swelling  mountains,  a  sea  of  smoking  volcanoes, 
rolling  and  tumbling,  tossing  and  heaving,  towering  up 
above  us  as  if  they  would  swallow  us  up  and  then  sinking 
away  as  we  rode  over  them.  Now  they  look  like  rocks  on 
a  mountain  side,  black  as  the  granite  of  the  "  everlasting 
hills,"  and  now  they  break  and  change  and  melt  into  the 
softest  green,  while  the  "  white  cap"  of  foam  and  spray  is 
crowned  over  all.  It  was  a  sight  which  must  be  seen,  which 
no  pen  can  describe,  and  which  once  enjoyed  never  can  be 
forgotten.  There  was  mingled  with  it  no  feeling  of  fear, 
only  a  sense  of  the  keenest  enjoyment  and  a  most  vivid 
and  powerful  realization  of  the  might  of  him  who  made 
the  sea  and  walks  upon  its  waves.  To-day  it  is  still 
cloudy,  but  we  are  getting  on  well,  they  say  averaging  per- 
haps three  hundred  miles  per  twenty-four  hours.  Our 
voyage  will  be  about  three  thousand,  two  hundred  miles, 
and  we  hope  to  get  to  Queenstown  by  Friday.  So  remem- 
bering my  promise  to  let  you  hear  from  us  by  that  mail  I 
have  worked  hard  to  get  up  sufficient  equilibrium  to  write 
to-day,  but  it  is  decidedly  "  up  hill "  business.  At  every 
roll  of  the  ship  I  feel  as  if  my  head  remained  at  the  start- 
ing point,  or  was  gradually  lengthened  to  the  extreme  of 


50  LIFE   AND    LETTERS   OF 

the  downward  inclination,  and  then  was  compressed  again, 
the  interesting  operation  continually  repeating  itself,  and 
table,  ink  and  all  seeming  to  be  always  running  away  from 
you.  There  is  no  quiet  either  ;  you  are  either  interrupted 
every  moment  almost,  or  you  feel  an  unconquerable  inclina- 
tion to  listen  to  what  everybody  is  saying  around  you.  It  is 
raining  again  and  a  heavy  "  head  wind  "  is  blowing.  The 
ship  is  closed  up  on  all  sides  and  the  passengers  look  for 
all  the  world  like  children  shut  up  in  the  house  at  home  on 
a  rainy  day.  We  are  bouncing  ai-ound  in  a  most  uncom- 
fortable manner,  and  the  spoons  and  forks,  plates  and 
glasses  are  making  most  undignified  journeys  across  the 
cabin  floor.  Some  of  the  passengers  are  trying  to  read, 
some  are  singing  to  a  violin  accompaniment,  some  are  try- 
ing to  play  chess,  but  the  greater  part  are  talking  at  the 
top  of  their  speed.  But  the  main  business  on  the  ship  is 
eating,  or  trying  to  eat.  We  have  breakfast  at  eight,  lunch 
at  twelve,  dinner  at  four,  tea  at  seven,  and  supper  at  nine, 
your  correspondent,  however,  has  not  taken  many  meals  at 
the  table.  There  are  so  many  meats  and  sauces  and  pastries 
and  such  a  variety  of  flavors  and  odors  that  I  almost  wish 
I  might  never  see  meat  again,  or  taste  a  sauce  again. 
There  seems  to  be  brandy  in  the  soup,  brandy  in  the 
meats,  brandy  in  the  puddings,  brandy  above  the  table,  but 
especially  brandy  on  the  table.  Nearly  every  gentleman, 
except  those  of  our  party,  have  glass  after  glass  at  every 
meal  except  breakfast.  What  a  luxury  it  will  be  to 
us  to  get  out  of  sight  of  so  much  drinking.  We  wonder,  if 
it  is  introductory  to  what  we  shall  see  on  the  continent. 
And  another  luxury  will  be  to  get  a  good  appetite  again 
and  some  good  plain  food,  without  any  added  flavoring.  I 
know  I  have  thought  longingly  fifty  times  about  that  dish 
of  corn  bread  we  got  at  Taylor's  the  morning  we  sailed. 


MRS.    MARY   OALLOWAY    OIFFEN.  51 

Tliere  are  very  few  Americans  on  board.  At  our  table 
we  have  a  very  ])Ieasant  Engli^li  lady  who  entertains  us 
with  very  interesting  accounts  of  men  and  things  in  her 
country.  She  thinks  the  Queen  "  a  nice  old  lady,"  whom 
Providence  kindly  continues  between  the  Nation  and  the 
Prince  of  Wales.  Her  opinion  of  him  could  not  well  be 
worse.  She  declares  he  does  not  deserve  the  name  of  a 
man,  that  he  does  absolutely  nothing  but  drink  and  smoke. 
A  Canadian  across  the  table  suggested  that  that  was  a  good 
deal  for  one  man  to  do. 

Tuesday  evening  "  the  force  of  circumstances  "  compelled 
me  to  leave  ofi^  rather  abruptly,  and  I  did  not  get  up  stairs 
until  late  yesterday  morning.  I  was  like  an  escaping  con- 
vict, detected  and  remanded  to  his  cell  ;  but  I  hope  now  I 
am  bravely  over  it  all,  but  Mr.  A.  is  still  quite  sick  and 
weak.  In  fact  he  has  had  the  hardest  time  of  anybody  on 
board,  and  has  now  no  hope  of  getting  up  at  all  until  we 
get  ashore.  Very  few  persons  are  ever  so  much  affected 
as  he  has  been,  or  there  would  not  be  quite  so  much  travel 
over  the  Atlantic. 

Everybody  is  busy  writing,  the  mail  bag  is  hanging 
out  to-day  and  all  who  are  not  otherwise  emjiloyed,  or 
rather  who  can  stop  their  writing  long  enough  are  guessing 
when  we  shall  get  to  Queenstown,  but  especially  when  we 
shall  reach  Liverpool.  In  fact  there  is  a  good  deal  of 
betting  on  the  question,  but  we  are  afraid  we  cannot  land 
before  Sabbath  morning.  I  wish  we  could  get  in  Satur- 
day night,  then  we  could  go  and  hear  Messrs.  Moody  and 
Sankey. 

February  23. — The  Cuba  came  to  anchor  in  Queenstown 
harbor  at  four  o'clock  Saturday  morning,  the  20th.  I 
mailed  you  letters  the  night  before,  and  hope  they  are  now 
fast  on  theii'  way.     We  shouhl  have  been  in  Liverpool  by 


52  LIFE   AND    LETTERS   OF 

ten  that  night,  but  were  compelled  to  wait  until  morning 
for  the  tide  to  put  us  over  the  bar.  Our  last  day  on  ship- 
board was  very  unpleasant.  A  snow  storm  came  on 
early  and  the  sea  was  very  rough.  This  kept  some  of  us 
in  our  berths  all  day,  and  some  who  got  above  stairs  early 
could  not  get  down  again  until  late  at  night.  At  ten 
o'clock  Sabbath  morning  the  Custom  House  officers  came 
aboard,  and  we  succeeded  in  getting  our  baggage  "  passed" 
without  any  difficulty.  A  tug-boat  then  took  us  up  to 
Liverpool  and  we  were  ashore  by  eleven.  Notwithstand- 
ing some  of  us  had  been  so  uncomfortable  on  the  Cuba, 
still  we  did  not  take  our  leave  of  her  without  some  emo- 
tion. She  had  carried  us  safely  through  quite  a  storm  and 
through  several  rather  severe  gales,  and  we  looked  back  to 
her  from  our  tug-boat  with  a  deep  feeling  of  gratitude  that 
a  kind  Providence  had  made  our  ocean  home  a  safe  one, 
and  had  brought  us  across  the  stormy  Atlantic  without 
anything  "  to  disturb  or  make  us  afraid." 

We  took  lodgings  at  the  North  Western  Hotel,  as  most 
Americans  do,  it  being  well  situated  for  getting  over  the 
city,  and  also  being  in  connection  with  the  London  and 
North  Western  railway.  We  found  ourselves  very  greatly 
fatigued,  and  with  some  of  us  the  motion  of  the  shij)  con- 
tinued a  long  time  after  we  got  on  land.  However,  we 
took  luncheon  and  hastened  out  to  Victoria  Hall  to  hear 
Messrs.  Moody  and  Sankey. 

Monday  morning  we  set  out  early  for  our  banker's,  Hon. 
David  Stuart,  and  we  must  say  we  were  all  greatly  sur- 
prised, as  well  as  pleased,  with  the  marked  courtesy  and 
kindness  there  shown  us.  All  the  members  of  the  firm 
were  brought  in  and  introduced  in  a  friendly  way,  and  one 
of  the  young  gentlemen  told  us  pleasantly  that  he  had  been 
"  baptized  in  Philadelphia  by  Dr.  Dales."     But  pleasantest 


MRS.    MARY   GALLOWAY    GIFFEN.  o3 

of  all,  he  sent  me  in  a  letter.  Perhaps  not  everybody  will 
understand  how  my  very  finger's  ends  tingled  with  pleasure 
that  any  one  should  so  remember  me  m  Liverpool,  and  won- 
der, too,  as  to  who  it  could  be.  Imagine  then  the  real  en- 
joyment, to  all  our  party,  when  I  looked  at  the  signature 
and  read  the  name  of  one  of  our  Alexandria  missionaries, 
an  unknown  friend,  an  affectionate,  sympathetic,  Christian 
heart,  thinking  of  us,  sharing  our  sorrow  in  parting  from 
all  Ave  love,  and  in  just  as  far  as  she  could  "  bearing  our 
burden."  It  touched  us  very  deeply,  and  we  felt  that  a 
very  warm  welcome  did  indeed  await  us  in  Egypt.  Per- 
haps some  will  say  it  was  a  little  kindness — only  a  letter. 
To  -its  it  was  very  great — "  the  cup  of  cold  water  "  to  a 
thirsty  heart.  We  read  it  more  than  once,  and  we  took  our 
"  sister  in  Christ "  into  our  inmost  heart. 

Business  being  finished,  our  banker's  son  kindly  begged 
to  show  us  over  the  city  and  escort  us  to  "  the  shops,"  as 
they  call  the  stores  here,  and  quite  a  kindness  it  was  too. 
He  took  us  to  an  immense  house,  but  while  we  found  great 
variety  we  are  all  about  agreed  that  we  do  not  find  things 
very  much  less  in  price  than  at  home. 

Liverpool  is  a  very  substantial  looking  city,  everything 
seeming  to  be  iron  or  stone.  But  the  objects  of  greatest 
curiosity  and  amusement  to  the  ladies  of  our  party  are  the 
English  women  and  the  English  horses.  The  former  are 
the  most  perfect  specimens  of  independence,  don't-care-ism, 
and  want  of  taste  that  we  ever  saw  in  our  lives.  We  have 
not  seen  two  pretty  ones  yet,  and  their  costumes,  both  in 
cut  and  color,  are  almost  indescribable.  Except  in  silk 
they  scarcely  wear  black  at  all,  and  they  mingle  up  blue, 
purple  and  rose  color  at  a  shocking  rate.  They  seem  every 
way  inferior  to  the  men,  unless  it  be  in  apparent  strength, 
and  ability  to  help  themselves. 


54  LIFE   AND    LETTERS   OF 

The  horses  are  fully  as  striking — the  Norman  horses,  we 
mean,  which  correspond  to  our  dray  horses  at  home.  They 
are  of  immense  size,  and  their  feet  and  pasture  joints  are 
large  enough  for  elephanU.  They  step  along  as  softly  and 
carefully  and  exactly  like  a  man  walking  on  a  frozen  street. 
Their  shoes,  I  am  sure,  must  be  as  large,  many  of  them,  as 
a  jieck  measure,  and  they  are  attached  to  drays  nearly  as 
large  as  our  "  flat "  cars  on  the  railroad.  These  drays 
really  are  larger,  a  good  deal  larger  than  the  "  flats  "  and 
box  cars  on  the  English  railways,  and  it  is  almost  incredi- 
ble the  immense  loads  you  may  see  drawn  by  one  of  these 
horses,  two  being  occasionally  harnessed  to  the  same  dray, 
but  never  abreast,  always  one  before  the  other,  and  never 
driven,  always  led.  Occasionally,  too,  we  passed  one  of 
these  immense  drays  drawn  by  a  single  donkey,  our  gentle- 
men declaring  the  load  to  be  forty  times  the  size  of  the 
donkey. 

Of  couree  there  are  many  things  here  which  are  new, 
strange  and  amusing  to  us,  and  possibly  we  may  be  equally 
as  odd  looking  to  those  Avhom  we  meet,  but,  take  it  all  in 
all,  Ave  are  not  smitten  Avith  England  by  any  manner  of 
means.  Our  hotel  Avas  a  good  one,  I  suppose.  By  the  Avay, 
it  is  just  fronting  St.  George's  Hall,  containing,  as  perhaps 
you  knoAV,  one  of  the  most  magnificent  organs  in  the  Avorld, 
and  having  on  the  facade,  I  sujjpose  you  might  say,  eques- 
trian statues  of  Prince  Albert  and  Queen  Victoria,  each 
one  standing  between  a  pair  of  huge  crouching  lions.  But 
all  this  does  not  make  amends  for  the  miserably  poor  fare 
Ave  got  at  the  celebrated  North  Western.  TAventy-five  dol- 
lars per  day  Avould  not  give  you  the  fare  Ave  get  at  home  in 
our  second  class  hotels,  perhaps  I  should  even  have  said 
third  class.  After  ten  days  of  sea  sickness  and  consequent 
fasting  Ave  really  needed  good  food,  but  Ave  certainly  did  not 


MRS.    MARY   GALLOWAY    GIFFEN.  55 

get  it ;  aud  yet  we  were  cliarged  higher  than  we  ever  paid  at 
home.  So  much  for  the  Great  North  Western.  No  doubt 
there  are  more  quiet  hotels  where  we  could  have  gotten 
better  fare  for  less,  but  it  is  true  the  world  over,  that  if  you 
ask  to  be  recommended  to  a  hotel  every  man  will  send  you 
to  the  most  expensive  of  his  acquaintance.  If  he  knows  a 
good  second  class  he  won't  tell  you. 

Well,  we  have  availed  ourselves  of  Miss  Campbell's 
timely  suggestions  as  to  what  purchases  we  ought  to  make 
for  Egypt,  got  our  goods  up  to  the  hotel,  and,  weary  as 
we  were,  packed  ever  so  hard,  closed  up  our  trunks  and 
had  them  shipped  by  the  "  Memphis  "  direct  from  Liver- 
pool to  Alexandria,  so  that  we  shall  not  be  troubled  with 
anything  but  "  hand  baggage  "  on  the  Continent.  At  seven 
o'clock  this  morning  we  bought  our  tickets  for  London, 
"  second  class,"  as  almost  every  one  does  except  the  nobil- 
ity, one  being  just  about  as  comfortable  and  respectable  as 
the  other.  The  officials  took  them,  punched  them,  the 
guard  opened  a  door,  thrust  us  in  in  a  great  hurry,  and  off 
we  went  to  London.  The  compartment  has  not  anything 
like  the  comfort  or  elegance  of  our  ordinary  cars  at  home, 
there  being  no  heating  apparatus  except  a  queer,  sheet  iron, 
"  foot  warmer,"  filled  with  hot  water.  We  were  not  at  all  flat- 
tered Avith  the  accommodations,  but  behold,  when  we  were 
nearly  in  London,  another  official  thrust  in  his  head  for 
tickets,  and  when  he  had  them  very  graciously  informed 
us  that  we  were  in  "  first  class  "  cars,  and  7)iust  pay  the 
excess  of  fare.  Of  course  we  complained.  It  was  no  fault 
of  ours.  We  had  showed  our  tickets,  were  thrust  in  where 
Ave  were,  &c.  But  no,  he  politely  referred  us  to  the  com- 
pany in  London  for  redress  of  grievance  and  pocketed  the 
extra  seven  shillings,  making  the  full  fare  £1,  9s.,  or  about 
$7.25.     Their  whole  system  of  railroading  is  on  the  rather 


56  LIFE   AND   LETTERS   OF 

contemptible  order.  The  passenger  cars  are  small,  dingy 
and  dirty-looking,  even  the  best  of  them,  their  box  cars 
are  not  larger  than  a  good-sized  wagon,  the  engines  are 
little,  puny,  ugly-looking  things,  and  even  the  whistle  has  a 
babyish  squeak.  Every  one  of  us  made  that  very  remark 
about  it  the  first  time  we  heard  it,  so  you  may  accept  it  for 
a  fact.  How  much  the  English  might  afford  to  learn  from 
America !  But  the  country  of  England  is  beautiful.  For 
many  miles  out  of  Liverpool  the  meadows  were  as  green  as 
in  our  summer,  and  the  hawthorn  hedges  give  it  the  ap- 
pearance of  flower  beds  in  a  garden  almost.  Everywhere 
thei-e  were  traces  of  such  careful  culture,  if  only  we  could 
have  seen  the  growing  crops.  I  suppose,  of  course,  we  saw 
some  castles,  or  at  least  the  residences  of  some  of  the  no- 
bility, with  their  towers  and  turrets,  and  country  seats, 
perhaps,  they  were.  Some  of  them  were  very  pi'etty, 
indeed,  but  we  could  not  say  as  much  for  the  little  village 
which  was  always  near  by.  The  buildings  have  almost  all 
such  an  old,  dingy  look,  not  redeemed  either  by  the  idea 
that  "  classic  antiquity"  was  found  about  there,  but  gener- 
ally the  first  thought  suggested  was  the  smallness  of  these 
old  houses,  the  even  diminutive  looking  rooms  added  where 
we  have  large  long  ells. 

There  is  such  a  manifest  division  into  rich  and  poor  all 
through  this  country,  which  is  very  striking.  There  was 
snow  on  the  ground,  the  fall  being  heavier  as  we  went 
towards  London,  still  we  saw  many  laborers  in  the  fields, 
principally  plowing,  always  with  double  teams,  and  never 
abreast,  generally  there  were  four  horses  in  a  line.  A  pretty 
fringe  of  trees  is  planted  along  every  little  brook  and 
canal,  the  channels  are  smoothly  and  regularly  marked 
out  in  a  pretty,  winding  way,  the  drainage  appearing  per- 
fect and  altogether  the  effect  is  charming.     Cold  as  it  was 


MRS.    MARY   GALLOWAY   GIFFEN.  57 

we  thought  SO  often  of   the  delightful  summer  days  one 
might  spend  "  under  the  trees  "  along  these  pretty  brooks. 

But  perhaps  the  most  beautiful  thing  we  saw,  was  a 
range  of  hills  to  the  north-east  of  London,  white  with  snow, 
glittering  in  the  sunlight  and  seeming  indeed  to  be  part  of 
the  sky.  Except  in  form  and  brilliancy  they  did  not  seem 
other  or  differing  from  the  clouds,  but  we  left  them  behind 
at  last  and  found  ourselves  running  rapidly  through  the 
vast  suburbs  of  London.  Rows  on  rows  of  handsome 
buildings  were  everywhere  to  be  seen,  and  noise  and  bustle 
and  business  were  on  every  hand.  CHad  indeed  were  we 
when  we  rolled  up  in  the  station  after  our  six  hours'  ride 
of  two  hundred  miles,  and  the  united  testimony  of  our 
party  was  that  we  never  had  gone  such  a  distance  before 
with  so  little  personal  comfort.  The  cold  was  very  disa- 
greeable indeed,  notwithstanding  they  say  the  mercury 
here  never  falls  here  very  much  below  freezing  point. 

In  company  with  several  of  the  other  passengers  of  the 
C'uba,  we  took  lodgings  at  Charing  Cross  on  the  Strand.  It 
is  a  handsome  building  but  rather  worse  for  us  in  some  im- 
portant respects  than  the  one  to  which  we  objected  in  Liv- 
erpool. The  fiict  is,  we  entertained  ourselves  at  luncheon 
with  imagining  what  our  friends  in  America  would  think 
if  they  could  see  us  sitting  down  to  such  a  dinner  in  Lon- 
don. Of  course  we  get  just  what  we  order  in  all  European 
hotels,  but  we  have  learned  to  be  wary  of  the  orders.  By 
the  advice  of  our  Liverpool  banker,  the  gentlemen  went 
immediately  after  to  Cook's  Tourist  to  endeavor  if  possible 
to  get  his  tickets  through  to  Egypt  and  also  to  secure  his 
hotel  coupons,  by  which  means  we  shall  always  have  our 
lodgings  selected,  get  better  meals  aud  have  to  pay  less  for 
them.  -After  tea  we  went  out  for  a  promenade  on  the 
Strand,  and  a  magnihcent  street  it  is.     The  displays  in  the 


58  LIFE    AND    LETTERS   OF 

shop  windows  are  beautiful  indeed,  and  many  of  tlie  fine 
buildings  have  all  the  signs  and  fancy  adornings  in  front 
ends  as  stars,  diamond-shaped  figures,  &c.,  done  all  in  gas 
jet,  hundreds  and  hundreds  of  them  blazing  and  flickering 
in  beautiful,  changing  quivering  sheen.  We  walked  till 
nine  o'clock,  very  much  enjoying  the  handsome  windows 
and  magnificent  buildings  and  now  at  eleven  o'clock  we 
are  in  the  reading  room — there  being  no  ladies'  parlor  in 
these  splendid  hotels — finishing  up  our  letters.  But  the 
gentlemen* say,  finished  or  unfinished  after  such  a  fatiguing 
day,  we  must  go  up  stairs. 

February  26. — We  are  just  starting  on  our  "  last  day  in 
London."  Our  first  intention,  however,  was  to  have  left 
for  Paris  about  half  an  hour  ago,  but  as  we  can  not  get  a 
steamer  from  either  Naples  or  Brindisi  before  the  8th,  we 
felt  at  liberty  to  dispose  of  the  intervening  days  according 
to  our  own  inclinations.  It  has  been  snowing  heavily  ever 
since  we  came  into  London,  and,  as  it  melts  almost  as  soon 
as  it  falls,  we  have  had  a  terrible  time  of  it  trying  to  get 
round  to  the  most  interesting  points.  Yesterday  the  gen- 
tlemen secured  our  tickets  from  Cook's  Agency.  We  go 
from  here  to  Paris,  lua  Dieppe.  This  will  require  perhaps 
six  hours  on  the  Channel,  but  it  is  considered  the  prettiest 
route,  and  it  suited  us  better  in  several  respects. 

IMonday  morning,  the  2d,  we  propose  setting  out  for 
Turin,  Rome,  and  Naples,  so  we  have  a  jonriiey  of  about 
twelve  hundred  miles  by  rail  ahead  of  us.  I  sincerely 
hope  it  may  not  prove  as  uncomfortable  as  the  ride  from 
Liverpool.  But  it  has  been  a  most  unfortunate  time  for 
us.  At  the  American  Legation,  when  we  told  them  we 
were  on  our  way  to  Egypt,  the  Secretary  said,  "  Well, 
you'd  like  to  get  there  pretty  fast  out  of  such  weather  as 
this,  wouldn't  v*)U  ?  " 


MRS.    MARY   GALLOWAY   GIFFEN.  59 

But  I  am  more  aud   more  interested   in   London  every- 
way.    I  would  like  to  get  an  American  history  of  Eng- 
land, and  go  and  stay  a  week  in  Westminster  Abbey,  then 
carry  my  book  along  and  stay  another  in  the  Tower,  only 
one  of  the  gentlemen   suggests :  "  You  wouldn't   like  to 
sleep  there,   would    you?"     I  fully   agree    with    him,    I 
would  only  want  to  be  in  either  place  when  there  was  a 
good  deal  of  daylight  abroad,  for  sure  I  am  nobody  could 
close  his  eyes  in  composure  in  the  dark  in  either  of  these 
wonderful  old  places.     Even  when  we  are  quietly  in  our 
hotel  at  night,  I  am  in    imagination   continually  walking 
round  the  monuments,  and  through  the  chapels,  and  over 
the  vaults  of  those  great  old  kings,  queens,  crusaders,  poets, 
warriors,  &c.     Nothing  has  so  impressed  me  as  the  Abbey 
and  the  Tower,  and  half  the  night  1  imagine  I  am  first  in 
one  and  then  in  the  other.     Everywhere  you  go  there  is 
something  to  deepen  this  impression.     Yesterday  we  were 
in  the  Houses  of  Parliament,  and  looking  through  the  cor- 
ridor  leading   from   the   Central   Hall   to  the  House  of 
Lords,  we  stopped  before  a  fine  painting  of  the  "  Farewell 
of  Lord  and  Lady  Russell."     We  had  seen  his  tomb,  with 
his  full-sized  figure  in  bronze  reclining  above  it  in  the 
vaults  of  the  Abbey,  and  were  told  by  the  guide  that  "  he 
was  executed."     And  in  the  painting  we  recognized  the 
stone  room  at  the  top  of  the  "  White  Tower  "  where  he 
was  imprisoned  and  where  the  farewell  took  place.     Out  in 
the  yard  was  "  the  block,"  and  there,  I  think,  he  was  be- 
headed.    Everywhere  you  are  overwhelmed  with  the  great, 
the  grand,  the  old,  and  not  less  by  the  blood  and  suffering 
mingled  in  it  all.     Here   is  a  woman's  tear,  trembling  on 
her  cheek  as  if  it  had  but  fallen  there.     By  her  side  is  a 
glittering  Queen,  or  some  haughty  monarch  clad  in  bur- 
nished mail.     On  the  oj)posite  wall  the  scales  may  turn 


()()  LIFE   AND    LETTERS   OF 

completely,  and  for  a  sceptre  and  crown,  there  are  the  axe 
and  the  block.  But  I  can  not  linger  over  the  Abbey  and 
the  Tower  now.  AVhen  I  have  had  time  to  breathe,  I  will 
tell  you  more  about  them  both,  as  also  of  other  things 
which  we  have  seen. 

I  wish  Ave  could  have  been  in  London  over  Sabbath,  so 
we  might  have  heard  Spurgeon  preach.  In  fact  I  feel  as 
if  the  Continental  cities  would  none  of  them  prove  of  so 
much  interest  to  us  as  this  one.  We  have  learned  the 
streets  and  go  round  all  distances  with  perfect  ease. 

We  find  it  very  difficult  to  accomplish  very  much  here. 
Nothing  is  open  until  half-past  ten  or  eleven  o'clock,  and 
then  all  close  at  about  four.  The  days  are  so  dark  too  and 
foggy  that  gas  is  in  demand  almost  all  the  time,  unless  for 
two  or  three  hours  at  noon. 

American  travelers  tell  us  we  will  admire  Paris  very 
much  more  than  London.  Everything  here  is  so  black  and 
dingy.  All  the  monuments  in  the  city  squares  look  black, 
though  they  as  well  as  the  buildings  are  very  handsome. 
Nelson's  monument  in  Trafalgar  Square  is  quite  imposing. 
Together  with  its  adjuncts,  it  occupies  a  very  considerable 
space.  There  are  two  beautiful  fountains,  four  immense 
crouching  lions,  and  several  very  large  equestrian  figures 
in  the  square,  and  all  very  handsomely  enclosed.  The  shaft 
is  very  high,  so  much  so  that  it  seemed  to  me  the  old  hero 
might  very  well  weary  of  his  great  altitude,  forever  look- 
ing down  on  all  the  world  below. 

Regent  street  is  very  handsome,  or  so  we  thought  driving 
through  yesterday.  It  is  nowhere  straight,  I  think,  but 
serpentine,  winding  along  in  grand  massive  blocks  of  build- 
ings on  either  side,  crowded  with  vehicles  of  all  kinds,  and 
the  side-walks  lined  with  all  classes,  shopi)ing,  all  stopping 
outside  and  making  their  selections  in  the  shop  windows 


MRS.    MARY   GALLOWAY    GIFFEN.  61 

before  entering.  These  windows  are  beautiful,  and  contain, 
in  many  instances,  the  greater  part  of  the  shopkeeper's 
goods.  Samples  of  everything  he  has  are  exhibited  there 
with  the  prices  marked,  and  there  is,  therefore,  not  only  a 
much  better  opportunity  for  the  purchaser  to  make  judicious 
selections,  but  also  very  nuich  gained  to  the  shopkeeper  in 
the  way  of  his  time. 

One  thing  which  interests  us  on  the  streets  is  the  Eng- 
lish shopping  Cab,  or  Hansom.  They  have  tops  a  little 
like  our  top  buggy,  but  are  nearer  the  ground.  Instead  of 
an  apron  in  front,  there  are  folding  leaves  which  shut  you 
in,  a  glass  entirely  over  the  front  which  you  may  have 
either  up  or  down,  entirely  shutting  you  in  if  you  wish. 
Then  the  driver  sits  up  above  it  all  behind,  driving  over 
the  top,  and  communicating  with  his  passengers  by  a  win- 
dow in  the  top.  They  are  very  convenient  and  comforta- 
ble, and  drive  very  rapidly. 

About  the  most  difficult  thing  in  London  is  to  sleep. 
There  is  so  much  to  excite  you  in  waking  hours,  that  is 
presuming  you  are  a  stranger  and  devoted  to  sight-seeing^ 
that  it  is  nearly  impossible  to  shut  it  out  of  your  mind  at 
night.  Should  you  succeed  after  a  time  and  forget  your 
fatigue  in  happy  slumber,  why  then  your  bliss  is  not  of  long 
duration,  for  nearly  every  church  or  large  building  of  any 
importance  has  a  tremendous  great  clock  on  it,  and  every 
hour,  half  hour  and  quarter  hour  is  regularly  chimed.  It 
is  right  pretty,  you  think,  before  retiring.  Afterwards  it  is 
an  unmitigated  nuisance. 

On  the  whole  though,  I  suppose  we  ought  to  be  pretty 
well  satisfied  with  our  stay  in  London,  for  though  it  has 
been  quite  fatiguing,  yet  we  are  all  well,  and  have  really 
enjoyed  most  things,  the  weather  and  the  general  gloom  al- 
ways excepted.     Perhaps,  too,  we  shall  like  the  English 


62  LIFE   AND    LETTERS   OF 

better  Avhen  we  get  to  where  we  can  only  guess  at  what  peo- 
ple say,  Avithout  being  able  to  answer  them  at  all.  At  any 
rate  we  shall  soon  see,  as  in  a  few  hours  we  propose  to  set 
foot  on  '  La  Belle  France. '  " 


CHAPTER  V. 

BOLOGNA,    ITALY. 


"  Leaving  Loudon  and  crossing  the  Channel,  we  landed 
at  Dieppe  Saturday  morning  at  eleven  o'clock,  and  left  in 
half  an  hour  for  Paris.  Our  route  ran  almost  all  the  way 
down  the  valley  of  the  Seine,  through  the  most  pictur- 
esquely beautiful  country  we  ever  saw.  It  exhibited  more 
careful,  economical  culture  than  in  England.  In  every 
spot  where  a  tree  or  shrub  may  grow  w'ithout  lessening  the 
garden  ground,  there  one  is  planted,  and  every  year's 
growth  of  twigs  is  carefully  cut  and  bundled  into  sheaves 
as  you  do  wheat,  and  used,  Ave  suppose,  for  thatching  roofs 
and  kindling  fires.  Such  prunings,  often  repeated,  give  the 
trees  the  general  appearance,  at  this  season  of  pruning,  of 
loAv  stumps,  but  Avhich  in  spring  would  branch  out  beauti- 
fully. Another  favorite  style  of  pruning  a  different  tree  is 
to  let  it  run  up  very  tall,  along  the  little  streams,  of  which 
there  are  very  many,  trimming  them  to  the  very  top.  The 
houses  are  very  old  and  quaint  looking,  and  the  little  yards 
everywhere  alive  with  turkeys  and  chickens.  And  so  many 
old  mills,  Avith  moss-covered  roofs,  and  lazily  tui'ning  old 
Avheels,  Avhere  only  slight  imagination  Avas  needed  to  see  in 
the  white  ruffled  faces  some  old  poet's  "  maid  of  the  mill." 


MRS.    MARY    GALLOWAY    OIFFEN.  63 

The  fields  were  green,  and  the  gardens  full  of  nice  things 
for  the  table,  all  of  which  looked  extremely  inviting  before 
we  got  to  Paris,  for  we  had  only  the  most  meagre  of  lunches 
from  Friday  evening  in  London  to  the  same  time  Saturday 
in  Paris.  It  was  cold  and  disagreeable,  too.  In  fact  there 
was  such  a  storm  on  the  channel  that  we  lay  at  anchor 
from  eleven  Friday  night  till  five  Saturday  morning.  At 
some  places  there  was  a  cold  rain  falling,  at  others  it  was 
snowing,  and  at  Paris  everything  was  white  with  the  snow. 
Arrived  there  our  vexation  increased  considerably  when 
we  left  the  cars  and  could  not  find  a  soul  who  could  speak 
a  word  of  English,  and  we  not  three  words  of  French,  or 
rather  in  a  slow  way  we  could  make  them  comprehend  our 
wishes,  but  could  not  catch  a  word  of  their  rapid  enuncia- 
tion. We  finally  declared  ourselves  "  Innocents  Abroad," 
and  soon  after  fell  into  the  hands  of  a  "  shark  "  who  prom- 
ised to  take  us  to  our  hotel,  and  who  could  speak  English 
enough  to  deceive  us.  We  got  into  his  'bus,  rather  against 
our  wishes,  however,  rode  and  rode,  and  finally  found  that 
instead  of  putting  us  out  at  Cook's  selection,  the  St.  Peters- 
burg, 35  Rue  Caumartin,  he  had  taken  us  "  to  my  own 
hotel,  I  no  understan,  I  tought  I  say  come  here.  Monsieur 
no  say.  I  have  good  house,  good  room,  Monsieur  go  up 
and  see.  Speak  English.  Gentleman  from  New  York  say 
he  have  friends  come  on  dat  train.  I  not  know,  I  bring 
you  here.  Rue  Caumartin  very  far,  I  not  know,  de  coach- 
man may,"  &c.,  to  an  indefinite  extent.  We  felt  very  in- 
dignant, were  sure  we  were  dealing  with  an  unprincipled, 
unsafe  character,  that  we  had  been  impudently  defrauded, 
for  we  had  given  him  the  printed  card  of  the  hotel  to  w'hich 
persons  traveling  on  Cook's  Tourist  Tickets  are  sent,  and 
he  had  distinctly  stated  at  the  cars  that  though  he  would 
like  to  have  us  at  his  hotel,  yet  he  would  send  us  to  the  St. 


64  LIFE   AND   LETTERS   OP 

Petersburg  just  as  well  and  as  cheaply  in  his  'bus  as  if  we 
took  a  cab. 

We  felt  just  a  little  uncomfortable,  held  a  two  minutes 
consultation,  picked  up  our  satchels,  stepped  past  "  the 
vociferating  fraud  "  as  the  gentlemen  dubbed  our  knight  of 
the  'bus,  mustered  up  all  our  little  stock  of  French,  got  a 
cab  for  "  deux  francs,"  and  were  soon  in  nice,  quiet,  com- 
fortable rooms,  Avhere  we  felt  secure  and  at  home.  The 
clerk  in  the  office,  or  bureau  as  they  say,  was  a  pretty  little 
woman  who  spoke  English  fluently,  and  so  did  the  waiter, 
or  (jarcon,  in  the  Salle  a  Manger. 

But  we  did  not  go  "  sight-seeing  "  in  Paris,  and  therefore 
I  cannot  tell  you  very  much  about  this  beautiful  city.  We 
went  only  to  Notre  Dame,  and  I  must  wait  till  some  other 
time  to  tell  you  about  that.  From  there  we  ivalked  back 
in  the  rain  to  our  hotel  and  were  so  weary  that  we  did  not 
venture  out  any  more.  Table  d'hote  over,  we  got  our 
Bibles,  took  possession  of  the  reading  room  and  spent  as 
pleasant  a  Sabbath  evening  I  venture  as  any  of  you  at 
home.  Before  we  knew  it  was  almost  eleven  o'clock,  but 
we  still  had  plenty  of  time  for  sleeping  as  we  knew  we 
could  do  nothing  next  morning  but  get  breakfast  and  get 
off  on  the  eleven  o'clock  train  for  Turin.  But  for  our 
Cook's  tickets  I  do  not  see  how  we  should  have  got  on  at 
the  stations  and  along  the  road.  They  are  printed  in 
pamphlet  form  both  in  French  and  English,  and  enclosed 
in  a  neat  little  case.  They  are  everywhere  recognized  with 
respect,  and  if  we  wish  to  know  what  train  to  take,  or  what 
direction  to  go  in  the  station  houses,  the  gentlemen  just 
hold  up  the  tickets  to  the  guards  and  they  point  us  right. 
So  we  got  off  from  Paris  more  pleasantly  than  we  got  into 
it,  but  it  was  still  snowing,  growing  heavier  as  we  ap- 
proached the  Alps.     We  did  not  enter  them  until  after 


MRS.    MARY    GAI.LOWAY    GIFFEN.  65 

night,  but  they  were  white  from  base  to  suniniit,  and  very 
grand  and  bold  looking  against  the  smoky  sky.  It  was 
with  difficulty  though  that  we  saw  them  at  all  through  the 
frosted  window  panes.  At  jNIadane  we  reached  the  Italian 
frontier,  were  waked  up  and  thrust  out  to  go  through  the 
Custom  House  again.  At  Dieppe  passports  were  not  de- 
manded. Here  they  were  asked  for  provided  you  did  not 
have  a  card  with  your  simple  address  on  it,  the  purpose 
being  merely  to  learn  if  you  are  English  or  American.  If 
you  are,  you  may  "  do  what  you  please."  If  you  are  not, 
the  scrutiny  is  more  rigid.  And  again  in  the  cars,  w^e  soon 
entered  Mount  Cenis  Tunnel,  but  of  course  we  could  get  no 
impression  beyond  the  mere  fact  that  Ave  Avere  in  it,  "  under 
the  Alps,"  and  on  the  classic  ground  of  which  we  had  read 
and  dreamed  all  our  lives.  We  were  in  quite  comfortable 
carriages,  as  they  call  the  cars  here,  that  night,  and  as  the 
darkness  forbade,  or  rather  refused  to  supply  much  material 
for  poetic  dreaming,  we  soon  left  Mount  Cenis  and  its 
'*  eternal  snoAVS  "  to  take  care  of  themselves,  Avhile  Ave  be- 
took ourselves  to  dreaming  of  another  character.  We  came 
by  Avay  of  Dejon,  Macon,  &c.,  and  arrived  in  Turin  at 
nine  o'clock  next  morning,  distant  from  Paris  five  hundred 
and  one  miles.  Passing  on  through  Alessandria,  Piazcenza, 
Parma  and  Modena  Ave  found  the  suoav  constantly  increas- 
ing, and  on  arriving  at  this  old  city  of  Bologna,  the  guard 
opened  the  door  of  the  voiture  and  mustered  up  English 
enough  to  tell  us  to  "  descend,"  pointing  very  significantly 
to  the  steps  of  the  carriage  and  then  to  the  door  of  the 
station.  We  "  descended,"  and  then  to  work  to  find  out 
Avhat  for.  After  some  moments  Ave  understood  that  the 
snow  Avas  so  deep  on  the  mountains  between  Bologna  and 
Fairenze,  as  they  call  Florence,  that  trains  could  not  pass 
over,  consequently  Ave  must  lie  over  here.     Cook's  Tourists 


66  LIFE   AND    LETTERS   OF 

do  not  stop  over  at  Bologna  and  there  was  no  list  of  hotels 
on  his  guide-book,  so  we  knew  not  where  to  go.  Just  at 
this  juncture  we  were  interrogated  with,  "Americans?" 
just  as  we  had  so  often  been  in  London,  and  on  assenting 
we  got  a  perfect  stream  of  real  nice  English.  It  was  from 
one  of  the  station  guards  who  had  been  six  years  in  the 
United  States.  The  first  question  Avas  if  we  were  from  the 
North.  One  of  the  gentlemen  said  yes,  and  on  he  rattled, 
telling  us  where  he  had  been  and  how  much  he  liked 
America.  He  was  in  New  Orleans,  he  said,  when  the  war 
commenced,  and  "  they  got  me  in  the  Zouaves  and  then  say 
I  volunteered.  Oh!  you  know  Stonewall ?"  While  he 
asked  the  question  a  glow  of  pleasure  at  the  recollection 
of  that  honored  name  spread  over  his  sAvarthy  face.  I  said, 
"  O,  yes,  I  was  a  rebel."  "  Oh !  were  you  ? "  and  he 
laughed  with  a  real  hearty  ring.  "  Yes,"  he  said,  "  I  was  at 
Chancellorsville  when  StoncAvall  was  killed,  and  at  all  those 
other  battles.  At  Antietam  a  grape  shot  took  me  here," 
laying  his  hand  on  one  limb,  "  and  when  I  got  well  I rund 
aivay."  "  You  rund  away,  did  you  ?  "  said  I.  "  O  yes,  I 
say  this  not  my  country.  I  got  nothing  to  do  with  this 
quarrel,  and  I  got  out  of  that."  For  all  that  there  was 
genuine  pleasure  gleaming  in  his  face  at  talking  to  Ameri- 
cans and  a  real  glad  sort  of  a  "  fellow  feeling  "  sparkling  in 
his  eyes  when  I  said  I  was  a  rebel  too.  By  this  time  there 
was  a  swarm  of  great  black  Italian  eyes  glaring  into  our 
faces,  and  we  got  our  English-speaking  friend  to  get  us  a 
cabriolet  and  start  us  off  to  the  "  Bologna  Hotel."  The 
snow  was  very  deep  in  the  narrow  streets,  and  every  where 
"  the  snoAv  shovelers  "  were  at  Avork  clearing  out  a  carriage 
Avay,  and  banking  it  up  ready  for  dumping  it  into  the 
seAvers.  They  Avere  on  the  roofs  of  the  houses,  too,  clear- 
ing it  off  as  fast  as  possible,  as  it  is  such  a  Avet,  heavy  kind 


MRS.   MARY   GALLOWAY   GIFFEN.  67 

of  snow,  that  they  fear  the  giving  way  of  the  roofs.  As 
we  passed  "  the  gates "  of  the  city  the  guards  came  and 
stopped  the  cab,  looked  into  our  faces  and  said  "  Ameri- 
cans ?  "  to  the  drivers.  We  suppose  they  said  yes,  and  drove 
on.  It  is  a  quaint,  queer,  old,  old-looking  city  that  we 
drove  through. 

So  many  things  had  the  unmistakable  air  of  the  "  dark 
ages."  So  many  old,  old-looking  churches  and  cathedrals 
with  the  "  key  and  mitre  "  cut  in  stone  over  the  door,  and 
great  stone  figures  of  Peter  standing  on  the  rock  and  grasp- 
ing a  bundle  of  brazen  keys.  On  one  there  Avas  "  Plenary 
Indulgence  "  and  other  such  stuff,  in  antique  Latin,  over 
the  door,  and  sure  I  am  that  old  church  is  as  old  as  Tetzel 
himself  At  last  we  were  set  down  at  a  most  forbidding- 
looking  entrance,  with  no  gas  anywhere.  The  hackman 
gave  the  bell-rope  a  vigorous  jerk,  and  out  came  the 
proprietor,  a  waiter,  a  woman,  and  a  boy.  One  flew  to  us, 
another  flew  at  the  gas,  and  a  third  jerked  another  bell- 
rope.  The  proprietor  could  speak  enough  English  to  un- 
derstand that  we  wanted  two  rooms  and  dinner.  He 
started  the  waiter  up  stairs  with  us  and  then  ran  to  a  back 
door  and  with  many  gesticulations  ran  out  a  long  whispered 
hus — li — h  to  somebody  behind  the  scenes.  The  stair-cases 
were  unswept,  and  both  they  and  the  little  dark  narrow 
halls  looked  as  if  cut  out  of  the  solid  rock.  But  after 
getting  up  stairs  the  atmosphere  seemed  changed,  and  our 
rooms  looked  very  inviting  but  for  the  cold.  However 
we  would  much  rather  have  been  in  the  cars  on  our  way 
to  Florence.  We  almost  felt  as  if  we  were  surrounded 
with  banditti,  for  these  Italians  have  rather  more  of  a 
savage,  highway-robber  look  than  one  likes,  and  vou  have 
such  an  oppressive  realization  in  these  narrow,  dark,  dingy 
streets  that  you  are  not  in  a  Christian  country.     Grim- 


68  LIFE   AND   LETTERS   OF 

looking  old  priests  glided  along  in  the  streets  and  most  un- 
pleasantly associated  themselves  in  our  minds  with  the 
horrible  days  of  the  Inquisition,  but  Ave  took  off  our  wraps 
and  concluded  to  make  the  best  of  a  bad  bargain.  Can- 
dles were  brought  in  and  we  ordered  a  fire.  The  wood, 
when  it  came,  consisted  of  a  few  little  sticks  and  a  great 
hamper  of  (jrape  primings  tied  up  in  little  bundles,  and 
burned  in  a  porcelain-covered  stove  made  into  a  fire-place. 
Table  d'hote  was  soon  ready,  and  to  our  surprise  we  found  the 
salle  a  inanger  a  beau  tiful  room  and  the  dinner  the  very  nicest, 
richest  meal  we  had  enjoyed  this  side  the  Atlantic.  The 
proprietor  did  the  service  himself  and  soon  convinced  us  that 
the  bustling  and  confusion  on  our  arrival  was  just  a  little 
"  natural  flustration  "  caused  by  anxiety  to  do  just  the 
right  thing  for  "  the  American."  So  we  ate  our  dinner  in 
high,  good  humor,  came  up  stairs,  gathered  round  our  little 
stove,  listened  to  the  jingling  of  the  liells  on  the  donkeys 
in  the  snow  carts,  and  the  strange,  wild  shouts  of  the 
shovelers,  asked  each  other  Avhat  Ave  thought  of  ourselves 
in  this  queer  old  city  of  Bologne,  and  Avound  up  as  Ave 
usually  do  Avith  Avondering  Avhat  our  friends  at  home 
Avould  think  if  they  could  but  peep  in  on  us. 

Morning  came,  and  Avhen  Ave  Avent  doAvn  to  breakfast  the 
proprietor  enquired  hoAV  Ave  slept,  expressing  his  fears  that 
Ave  might  have  been  disturbed,  as  they  AA'ere  shovelling 
snoAV  from  the  roof  all  night.  He  told  us  it  Avas  a  metre 
deep,  and  took  us  out  to  shoAv  us  hoAV  it  Avas  banked  up  in 
the  court-yard.  It  is  more  than  three  feet  deep  almost 
anyAvhere,  and  as  the  streets  are  all  solidly  paved  and  very 
narroAV  you  may  guess  hoAV  the  rain  and  melting  snoAV 
streams  down  them.  Breakfast  over,  the  gentlemen  Avent 
over  to  the  station  and  Avere  told  Ave  could  leave  at  five  in 
the  afternoon,  though  the  proprietor  stoutly  affirmed  Ave 


MRS.   MARY   GALLOWAY   GIFPEN.  69 

could  not.  When  we  ^vould  go,  he  could  scarcely  be  viade 
to  comprehend  that  the  "Americano"  would  ivalk  a  mile 
through  that  "  very  much  cold  "  to  the  station  in  order  to 
let  the  ladies  see  more  of  the  city.  But  we  got  off  at  last, 
though  the  half-melted  snow  was  still  falling.  It  was  about 
the  strangest  walk  we  ever  had.  Such  eyes  as  stared  at 
us!  How  handsome  many  of  them,  and  how  fearfully 
ugly  others  were  !  What  a  set  of  vagabonds  and  ruffians  the 
shovelers  looked !  and  what  dark,  dingy  little  shops  lined 
the  sidewalks,  and  last,  but  not  least,  what  piles  on  piles  of 
Bologna  sausage! 

In  due  time  we  were  at  the  station,  and,  to  our  great 
regret  had  to  convince  ourselves  that  our  Italiano  had  not 
told  us  more  than  the  truth  when  he  declared  we  could  not 
get  over  the  mountains  to-night.  Notice  to  that  effect  was 
posted  by  the  authorities  in  the  station,  and  the  guard 
would  not  allow  us  to  pass.  Our  porter  had  followed  us 
down  in  the  sure  hope  of  taking  us  back.  He  told  the 
rebel  guard  in  a  dazed  kind  of  a  w'ay,  that  "  the  Ameri- 
cans walked  down  there,"  and  what  was  more  Ave  walked 
back  again  and  let  him  drive  his  hack  alone.  The  pro- 
prietaire  met  us  at  the  door,  not  at  all  discomposed  that 
we  had  not  accepted  his  statement  of  the  situation, 
showed  us  up  stairs,  ordered  us  a  fire,  and  announced  table 
dliote  in  half  an  hour.  It  was  nicer  than  the  first,  and 
we  concluded  we  might  be  just  as  comfortable  here  as  in 
Rome  in  such  weather.  It  is  a  great  disai^pointment 
though,  when  we  had  tried  so  hard  to  arrange  for  three 
days  in  that  city.  It  has  proved  a  larger  joke  than  we 
thought  when  Mr.  A.  wrote  "snowed  in"  opposite  our 
names  in  the  register.  However,  setting  aside  the  deten- 
tion, we  have  had  rather  a  pleasant  day  without  any 
cause  of  complaint  against  our  hotel — the  charges  being 
about  $2.50  for  everything. 


70  LIFE   AND   LETTERS   OF 

We  are  all  very  well  and  really  cheerful  and  happy.  But 
the  rest  of  the  party  are  asleep,  the  fire  is  out,  the  clock 
in  a  gloomy  old  church  across  the  street  has  just  struck 
one,  and  as  we  intend  making  an  effort  to  get  off  on  a 
seven  o'clock  train  in  the  morning,  I  have  but  five  hours 
left  for  sleeping.     So,  good  night." 


CHAPTER  VI. 

NAPLES — THE    MEDITERRANEAN. 

"  I  think  I  wrote  you  last  from  Bologna,  but  I  have  for- 
gotten where  it  was  mailed,  as  we  could  not  get  stamps 
there  in  the  hurry  of  our  leaving.  We  got  on  to  Florence 
Avithout  any  hindrance  from  the  snow.  In  fact  we  thought 
if  we  had  been  in  America  they  would  have  gone  on  until 
they  found  the  road  blocked,  instead  of  deciding  that  it 
"  might  be,"  and  tumbling  us  out  so  unceremoniously  at 
Bologna.  There  is  very  little  trestleing  on  the  road, 
though  any  deficiency  there  is  more  than  compensated 
for  by  quite  an  excess  of  tunneling.  Much  of  the  way 
the  mountains  were  entirely  wrapped  in  snow.  It  was  a 
cold,  grand,  cheerless-looking  country.  Peak  towered  over 
peak,  crag  over  crag,  and  it  seemed  to  us  as  if  eternal 
silence  as  well  as  eternal  snow  might  reign  there.  Toward 
noon  we  began  to  get  out  of  the  tunnels,  and  to  get  glimpses 
of  pretty  little  valleys  away  down  beloAV  us,  with  diminu- 
tive houses  and  miniature  gardens,  laid  off  and  planted 
with  the  greatest  precision,  up  to  the  very  brink  of  the 
clear,  pretty  little  stream  that  wound  along  below  us.    The 


MRS.   MARY   GALLOWAY   GIFFEN.  71 

snow  seemed  melting  away  too.  The  clouds  commenced 
rifting  and  the  sun  broke  out  in  golden  splendor,  lightino- 
up  the  great,  black  mountain  sides,  and  making  their 
snowy  summits  glitter  and  sparkle  like  diamond  crowns. 
Entering  the  valley  of  the  Arno,  spring  seemed  to  greet 
us  everywhere,  and  our  thermometers  ran  up  from  48°, 
where  they  stood  in  Bologna,  to  nearly  60°  as  we  held  them 
out  of  the  carriage  windows. 

We  had  not  intended  stopping  at  Florence,  but  there 
are  so  few  trains  on  these  Italian  railways,  we  found  our- 
selves compelled  to  lie  over  from  the  afternoon  till  ten 
at  night.  To  add  to  our  perplexity  we  could  not  find  the 
right  department  of  the  endless  station-house  for  our  train 
to  Rome.  Each  of  the  three  classes  of  passengers  here 
has  its  own  offices,  waiting-rooms,  luggage-rooms,  &c.,  into 
which  no  traveler  of  another  class  is  permitted  to  enter. 
This,  of  course,  requires  the  station-houses  to  be  just  three 
times  the  size  which  seems  necessary  to  us,  besides  which  there 
is  a  station  for  trains  from  the  same  points  which  pass  through 
different  intermediate  points.  After  quite  a  walk  round  the 
depot,  we  found  the  right  corner,  got  our  satchels  weighed,  de- 
posited and  receipted,  and  immediately  set  off  for  a  walk 
over  Florence  and  a  visit  to  the  Uffizi  and  Pitti  Palaces. 
When  we  were  tired  walking,  and  had  des])aired  of  gettino- 
policemen  to  give  directions  as  to  the  way,  we  took  a  cab, 
showed  the  coachman  the  names  of  the  palaces  in  our 
Cook's  Guide,  and  were  soon  over  the  Arno,  out  of  the 
cab  and  walking  up  the  piazzi  or  open  square  in  front  of 
the  palaces.  Some  other  time  I  will  tell  you  my  impres- 
sions of  what  we  saw,  or  as  nearly  as  I  can  what  all  the 
splendor  of  the  place  is  like.  We  walked  and  walked 
through  the  grounds,  hoping  every  half  hour  would  take 
us  round,  and  always  finding  an  avenue  of  more  magnifi- 

D 


72  LIFE   AND   LETTERS  OF 

cence,  a  vista  of  greater  beauty,  a  prettier  lake,  or  a  more 
charming  little  island,  till  tired  nature  pleaded  for  weary 
limbs,  and  we  sought  anxiously  for  an  exit  out  of  the  wonder- 
ful place.  I  do  not  remember  to  have  ever  seen  four  more 
thoroughly  exhausted  people  than  we  were  when  we  got 
back  to  the  Station  Hall  and  threw  ourselves  down  on  the 
divans  to  await  our  dinner  from  the  adjoining  Buffet,  as 
they  call  the  restaurant  in  Italy.  But  beefsteaks  and  cafe 
an  lait  soon  "  set  us  to  rights,"  and  a  nice  warm  lire  and 
cheerful  conversation  finished  up  very  pleasantly  what  had 
jjromised  to  be  a  long,  dull  evening. 

Once  in  our  compartment,  we  settled  ourselves  for  the 
night.  A  shilling  in  England,  or  a  lira  in  Italy,  dropped 
into  the  hand  of  a  guard  ensures  you  the  carriage  for  your 
party  unless  there  is  an  unusual  number  of  passengers,  and 
this  night  we  tried  the  merit  of  the  arrangement.  Unlike 
in  America,  there  is  here  no  conductor  on  the  trains. 
The  carriages  or  compartments  are  sections  of  the  coach 
with  two  seats  running  from  side  to  side,  sufficient  to  ac- 
commodate eight  persons,  who  sit  facing  each  other.  This 
of  course  necessitates  half  the  party  to  ride  "  backwards." 
First-class  compartments  are  furnished  in  about  the  style 
of  our  ordinary  trains  at  home,  except  that  they  are 
scarcely  lighted  at  night  and  have  no  heating  apparatus 
except  for  the  feet — hot  water  in  iron  cases.  Second-class 
is  plainer.  The  seats  are  covered  with  oil-cloth,  there  is 
no  foot-warmer,  and  occasionally  there  is  an  opening  at 
the  ends  which  permits  you  to  look,  Avhen  standing,  into 
the  compartment  before  you.  This  is  very  unpleasant, 
owing  to  the  almost  universal  propensity  of  Europeans  to 
smoke  when  traveling-.  But  we  have  not  found  it  verv 
comfortable  on  any  class  train  at  night.  Warm  and  pleas- 
ant as  it  was  in  Florence  during  the  dav,  we  reallv  suffered 


MRS.    MARY    GALLOWAY    GIFFEX.  73 

that  niglit,  though  we  thought  we  had  an  abumUint  sup- 
ply of  shawls,  and  had  we  been  compelled  to  share  our 
compartment  with  others,  it  would  have  been  much  worse. 
We  made  the  best  of  it,  however,  shook  ourselves  up  when 
the  lazy  daylight  dragged  itself  along,  rubbed  our  sleepy 
eyes,  held  an  interesting  discussion  as  to  what  we  should 
have  for  breakfast,  gathered  up  our  stray  ])roperty  and 
held  ourselves  in  readiness  for  the  first  glimpse  of  the 
Eternal  City.  Not  much  of  the  grandeur  of  Rome,  how- 
ever, is  visible  on  entering  by  our  route.  It  takes  you  in,  I 
think  at  the  south-eastern  extremity,  away  from  most  of  the 
classical  portion  of  the  city,  and,  any  way,  we  were  irreverent 
enough  to  defer  "  im])ressions  "  until  after  breakfast.  By 
half-past  nine  A.  M.  we  were  set  down  at  our  Hotel  Al- 
bergo  d'Allmague  ;  and  not  very  long  thereafter  we  started 
for  the  coffee  room.  Refreshed  and  invigorated,  we  soon 
made  out  our  programme  for  the  day,  for  instead  of  the  two 
days  which  we  had  certainly  counted  on  for  Rome,  our 
unfortunate  detention  now  limited  us  to  this  one.  We 
took  a  handsome  open  carriage,  with  a  span  of  spirited 
horses  and  a  rather  intelligent  Italian  coachman,  all  for 
two  francs  an  hour,  and  set  out  bravely  "  to  do  Rome  "  in 
part  of  a  day.  But  this,  too,  I  shall  keep  to  tell  you  some- 
time when  I  feel  a  little  more  like  writing  than  I  do  to- 
night. We  got  back  just  in  time  for  table  d'hote,  cold, 
weary  and  hungry.  Dinner  over,  we  exchanged  impres- 
sions, wrote  a  little  and  soon  betook  ourselves  to  our  pil- 
lows, ready  for  an  early  start  next  morning  to  Naples. 

This  was  Saturday  morning,  8th  of  March,  and  thougli 
we  had  looked  forward  to  Rome  Avith  so  much  interest,  yet 
I  do  not  think  any  of  us  felt  nuich  regret  at  leaving,  even 
though  our  stay  had  been  so  hurried.  Till  you  come  to 
Rome  you  can  never  have  any  idea  of  how  repulsive  Cath- 


74  LIFE   AND    LETTERS   OF 

olicisin  m.  There  it  is  univers<al,  not  a  nook  or  corner  did 
vi-e  see  where  it  did  not  rear  its  head.  Priests  and  monks, 
monks  and  priests  everywhere.  And  though  we  have  now 
left  Rome  far  behind  us,  we  have  still  quite  a  superabun- 
dance of  "  father  confessors  "  around  us.  One  sits  at  our 
table,  but  to  do  him  justice  he  is  rather  innocent-looking. 

AVell,  we  left  Rome  about  ten  A.  M.,  and  had  a  most  de- 
lightful day's  travel  through  the  prettiest  valley  we  ever 
saw.  It  was  the  first  entirely  bright  day  we  had  enjoyed 
in  Europe.  In  fact  though,  we  had  had  sunlight  a  few 
hours  in  Florence,  and  for  a  very  little  while  in  the  morn- 
ing at  Rome,  this  was  the  first  clear  sky  we  had  seen.  Vie 
very  much  feared  we  should  have  no  opportunity  at  all  to 
see  the  complexion  of  Italian  skies,  but  we  did.  The 
whole  ride  was  through  a  deep,  green  valley. 

On  each  side  the  mountains  piled  themselves  up  to  the 
sky,  with  their  snow-capped  peaks  above  the  clouds,  while 
in  the  valley  it  was  but  one  long-continued  beautifully 
green  garden. 

Everywhere  the  peasants,  men  and  Avomen,  were  busy  in 
the  fields,  spading,  plowing  by  hand,  pruning,  gathering 
up  every  particle  of  rubbish,  picking  salads,  pulling  up 
roots,  riding  donkeys,  leading  donkeys,  driving  donkeys, 
and  all  stopping,  straightening  up  and  gazing  at  the  flying 
train  with  as  much  interest  as  we  of  South  are  accustomed 
to  see  thrown  into  the  same  performance  by  a  diflferent 
class  of  laborers.  Much  of  this  valley  seemed  to  be 
meadow  land  of  the  richest  kind,  and  everywhere,  even 
amid  the  greenest  crops,  trees  were  regularly  planted,  we 
supposed  for  the  double  }  urpose  of  shade  from  sunmier 
heat  and  for  trellises  for  the  almost  universal  vine,  which 
is  festooned  from  one  to  another. 

We  felt  as  if  we  were  going  South  very  fast,  for  though 
it  had  been  warm  at  noon  in  Florence,  it  m  as  cold  in  Rome. 


MRS.    MARY   GALLOWAY    (ilFFEX.  75 

In  fact  we  could  not  have  hml  a  worse  time  for  our  jour- 
ney. Deep  snows  seems  to  have  fallen  all  over  Europe, 
and  the  severity  of  the  cold  has  been  much  worse  than  the 
de|)ression  of  the  mercury  would  indicate,  owing  to  the 
terrible  east  winds  and  the  driving  snow  and  rain  which 
fell  at  the  same  time.  In  Geneva  they  had  not  had  a  fire 
in  the  dining-room  before  in  twelve  years.  We  have  worn 
our  heavy  clothing  all  the  time,  and  have  been  none  too 
comfortable  with  it.  But  this  day  we  rode  with  our  com- 
partment windows  all  open,  and  the  air  was  as  mild  and 
balmy  as  in  our  spring. 

At  Paracello,  fifteen  miles  from  Na])les,  we  got  our  first 
view  of  Vesuvius.  It  stood  out  in  bold  relief,  grandly  dis- 
tinct from  the  other  mountains,  great,  yawning  chasms 
running  down  its  sides  deep  and  dark  from  summit  to  base, 
while  a  soft,  Avhite  cloud  hung  lazily  round  its  ragged 
crater.  The  enthusiasm  of  one  half  of  the  iiarty  rose  to 
white  heat  Avith  the  anticipation  of  making  the  ascent  and 
looking  down  into  that  famous  old  crater.  The  other  half, 
however,  decided  that  a  picture  gallery  would  be  much 
more  inviting.  We  ran  almost  round  Vesuvius  in  going 
into  the  city,  and  had  some  beautiful  views  of  the  villages 
which  dot  its  base.  At  our  distance  the  houses  looked  like 
toy  castles  lying  in  the  shadow  of  a  great,  grim  old  giant. 
Our  first  view  of  the  bay  w'as  rather  a  disappointment,  and 
the  earlier  part  of  the  drive  to  our  hotel  was  through  a 
most  miserable  part  of  the  city.  But  as  we  went  on  to- 
wards the  middle  of  the  circle  which  Naples  makes  around 
its  magnificent  bay,  the  view  became  every  moment  more 
and  more  beautiful,  till  by  the  time  we  reached  the  Hotel 
des  Estrangers  the  most  prosaic  of  mortals  could  not  have 
resisted  the  enchantment  of  the  scene.  Our  balconies 
opened  out  directly  on  the  bay,  and  just  beneath  was  one 


76  LIFE   AND    LETTERS   OF 

of  the  most  beautiful  drives  and  promenades  in  the  world. 
How  often  have  we  stood  out  there  and  drank  in  the  beauty 
and  harmony,  the  life  and  gayety  of  the  scene.  Across 
from  us,  seeming  to  rise  out  of  the  water,  stands  the  solenni, 
smoking  old  mountain,  forever  suggesting  what  possibilities 
may  lie  wrapped  up  in  its  awful  caverns,  while  away  up 
and  beyond  us  rise  the  heights  of  the  city,  croAvned  with 
castle-like  buildings,  white  and  glittering  in  the  sun-light, 
and  dim  and  shadowy  in  the  circle  of  lamp-light,  which 
girdled  the  city  at  night.  A  thousand  rays  dance  on  every 
wave  in  the  bay,  every  shade,  every  tint  of  earth  or  sky 
seems  to  linger  lovingly  over  that  quivering  sheen.  The 
sun  was  just  sinking  below  the  heights  when  we  went  first 
on  our  balcony.  Not  many  words  escaped  us,  except  to 
point  to  some  spot  which  we  feared  the  others  might  lose 
in  looking  too  long  elsewhere,  and  we  looked  and  lingered, 
lingered  and  looked,  and,  for  the  first  time  since  leaving 
London  let  table  d'hote  wait  till  we  were  ready. 

Most  Americans,  we  suppose,  jmtronize  Des  Estrangers. 
At  any  rate,  the  stars  were  scarcely  out  when  the  organ 
grinders  were  serenading  under  our  balcony.  Heard  for  a 
few  times,  their  voices  seem  very  fine.  I  was  struck  Avith 
tlie  sound  of  the  language  in  song.  Nearly  all  their  names 
end  in  a  vowel,  and  in  speaking  they  continue  these  sounds 
so  much.  In  singing,  everything  seems  to  end  in  ola,  ina, 
or  ia.  8abbath  morning  they  Avoke  us  with  their  singing 
and  ])]aving,  and  whenever  we  were  on  the  balcony,  when 
tliev  thought  they  had  entertained  us  sufhciently,  they 
woidd  i)ull  off  their  caps,  hold  them  up,  jablier  to  us  in 
Italian,  and  finish  up  invariably  with  the  ])olite  French, 
"  S'il  vo us  plait." 

AVe  are  going  out  now  for  a  stroll  on  the  streets,  to  look 
into  the  shops,  etc.,  get  a  week   day  impression  of  this 


MRS.   MARY   GALLOWAY   GIFFEN.  77 

pretty,  airy,  gay-looking  city.  One  thing  we  noticed  yes- 
terday was,  that  there  was  not  half  the  business  going  on 
that  there  was  in  Paris  on  Sabbath.  There  we  saw  scarcely 
a  closed  door.  Our  hotel  was  undergoing  repair  and  the 
work  went  on  that  day  j  ust  the  same  as  on  any  other.  Every- 
where it  Avas  just  the  same,  just  as  much  buying  and  sell- 
ing as  on  other  days.  Those  who  could  afford  the  time 
went  to  Mass  and  heard  the  organ  and  sermon,  and  then 
amused  themselves  afterwards.  Those  who  could  mo<  afford 
the  time,  stayed  at  home  and  conducted  themselves  on  the 
general  principle  of,  "  Business  before  pleasure."  Here  in 
Naples  it  is  not  near  so  much  the  case,  but  I  have  no  idea 
how  it  is  to  be  explained. 

The  lazzaroni  here,  as  in  Rome,  have  beset  us  every- 
where. Many  of  them  are  as  stout  and  strong,  and  could 
earn  their  living  just  as  easily,  as  other  people,  but  just 
listen  to  them,  just  only  turn  your  head  towards  them  and 
oh,  they  are  the  most  afflicted  beings  you  ever  beheld. 
Just  put  out  your  hand  to  push  them  out  of  your  path  and 
they  are  so  blind  they  cannot  get  out  of  your  way,  or  so 
lame  that  your  touch  sends  them  reeling  headlong  in  the 
street.  They  roll  helplessly  in  the  dust  and  declare  by 
their  whines  and  groans  that  you  have  literally  "  knocked 
them  down  "  and  are  therefore  in  honor  bound  to  double 
the  number  of  centimes  which  are  certainly  their  due. 

We  never  will  forget  a  professedly  lame  boy  who  went 
through  this  interesting  performance  for  us  yesterday 
morning,  nor  how  awfully  savage  he  looked  after  us  when 
neither  his  entreaties,  his  being  "  knocked  over,"  nor  even 
his  tears  and  lamentations  commanded  the  centimes.  In 
fact,  independent  America  cannot  form  the  least  idea  of 
the  sycophancy  of  Europe,  the  everlasting  solicitation  for 
a  "  gratuity."     Every  public  building  is  guarded.     There 


78  LIFE   AND    LETTERS   OP 

are  wardens,  or  porters,  or  "housekeepers"  or  self-ap- 
pointed guides  at  every  door.  They  thrust  themselves  on 
you,  and  perhaps  canncjt  speak  a  word  you  can  understand 
except  the  names  which  you  can  see  in  the  guide  books, 
and  then,  oh  how  nuich  "  righteous  indignation "  flames 
out  of  their  great,  black  eyes,  if  from  one  to  four  francs 
do  not  drop  into  their  greedy  palms.  But  we  will  soon  be 
out  of  Eurojie, 

We  have  crossed  the  Atlantic  in  safety,  if  not  in  com- 
fort, have  traversed  the  Continent,  seen  some  of  its  Avonders, 
enjoyed  many  of  its  beauties,  and  are  now  ready  to  embark 
on  the  Mediterranean.  Kind  Providence  has  kept  "  the 
everlasting  arm  underneath  and  around  us,"  and,  save  our 
detention,  at  Bologna,  not  one  unpleasant  circumstance  has 
befallen  us. 

March  12th.— We  left  "beautiful  Naples"  Monday,  at 
half-past  one  P.  M.,  and  it  was  with  some  regret,  for  except 
the  Bay  and  the  situation  of  the  city  we  felt  that  we  had 
seen  nothing.  The  day  was  warm  and  bright,  and  we 
looked  back  longingly  at  the  handsome  buildings,  the  spires 
and  towers,  and  the  crowded  hill-tops,  all  glowing  in  the 
wolden  light.  A  small  row  boat  took  us  out  in  the  Bay  to 
where  our  steamer  was  lying,  and  by  two  o'clock  we  were 
safely  established  in  our  cabin,  and,  for  the  third  time,  "  at 
sea."  Our  steamer  was  the  Africa,  of  the  Rubatino  Line, 
and  a  very  quiet,  comfortable  boat,  though  I  suppose  I 
should  make  one  exception  in  favor  of  voyagers  who  are 
not  accustomed  to  pay  "  tribute  to  Neptune,"  and  that  is 
the  fact  of  having  but  two  meals  per  day — unless  "  black 
coffee  "  in  the  morning  be  accounted  one.  On  the  Cuba  we 
had  five,  and  became  very  weary  of  it ;  but  here  they  cer- 
tainly have  touched  the  other  extreme.  The  cuisine  of 
Southern  Europe  is  very  different  from  our  preconceived 


MRS.    MARY    GALLOWAY    GIFFEN.  i  .1 

opinion?;.  There  is  very  much  less  of  brandy,  in  all  forms, 
and  the  favorite  methods  of  flavoring  are  very  simple. 
Here  "  vin  ordinaire  "  is  put  on  the  table,  as  water  is,  and 
the  meats  and  sauces  are  plain  and  wholesome.  It  seems 
to  me  quite  a  nice  idea,  too,  to  substitute  innocent  fruit 
and  nuts,  with  good  plain  bread  and  butter,  for  the  heavy, 
expensive  and  troublesome  desserts  now  so  connnon  in  the 
South — quite  as  nice  as  the  "plain  breakfost"  of  good, 
cold  bread,  butter  and  coffee  which  one  finds  all  over 
Eurojic.  At  first,  we  saw  it  with  some  dismay,  but  now  I 
would  not  wish  anything  nicer.  I  think,  in  fact,  it  would 
afford  me  real  satisfaction  to  introduce  a  reform  in  the 
dining  rooms  at  home,  and  though  there  might  be  a  revolt 
at  first,  the  new  regime  would  soon  become  very  agreeable 
an(:l  beneficial  in  a  hygienic  point  of  view. 

After  breakfast  all  who  can  betake  themselves  to  the 
deck  and  while  away,  (as  best  they  can)  the  long  hours, 
till  the  musical  ring  of  the  dinner  bell  at  four  summons 
them  to  a  more  interesting  employment.  Then  comes  a 
pleasant  promenade  on  the  deck  again,  in  the  soft  evening 
air,  which  is  really  very  delightful.  The  two  evenings 
"  your  correspondent"  was  so  fortunate  as  to  enjoy  under 
these  circumstances,  we  remained  above  until  "  the  stars 
were  out "  and  the  moon  in  the  sky.  The  first  night  Ave 
leaned  over  the  side  of  the  ship  and  looked  long  and 
quietly  at  the  million  of  diamond  sparkles  in  the  rolling 
waves,  our  thoughts  going  back  tenderly,  in  that  soft  even- 
ing hour  to  those  "  near  and  dear"  in  our  far  away  Amer- 
ican homes.  Around  us  was  a  motley  group.  Here  as 
everyAvhere  else  priests  were  gliding  around.  Indeed  their 
repulsive  black  robes  do  seem  to  be  ubiquitous.  One  sits 
by  us  at  table,  and  looks  the  very  picture  of  innocence, 
altogether  as  if  there  had  never  been  a  Jesuit,  and  never 


80  LIFE   AND    LETTERS   OF 

would  be  another  Inquisition  if  he  had  his  way.  He  and 
others  of  his  "  craft,"  under  the  guidance  of  a  very 
Bishop  of  Holy  Rome,  are  going  on  a  pilgrimage  to  the 
Sepulchre,  and  evervAvhere  they  are  gliding — I  had  almost 
said  stealing — about  the  ship  with  their  devotional  books 
before  their  eyes,  or  else  their  devoutly  bent  heads  and 
whispering  lips  ])roclaim  the  pious  elevation  of  their 
thoughts  to  every  beholder.  To-day,  Friday,  is  a  fast  day, 
and  of  course  they  are  somewhat  exercised  about  their 
diet — not  being  more  inclined  than  others  to  miss  the  two 
meals  afforded  by  the  ship.  The  Bishop  informed  some  of 
the  passengers  that  it  was  permitted— /lee^ — to  eat  as  oth- 
ers Avhen  they  Avere  traveling,  (a  convenient  religion,  is  it 
not?)  but  still  they  have  just  taken  their  dinners  alone  on 
soup  and  maccaroni,  and  this  morning  breakfast  was  made 
without  meat  for  their  consciences'  sake.  But  contrary  to 
what  we  would  expect,  the  Africa  with  all  its  mixed  na- 
tionalities is  an  extremely  quiet  boat.  Not  a  loud  word  is 
spoken  anywhere.  The  crew  is  the  most  silent  set  of  rough, 
unhappy,  poverty-stricken  looking  creatures  I  ever  saw. 

Tuesday  morning  at  sunrise  we  passed  through  "  the 
straits"  of  Messina,  with  "  Scylla  on  the  one  hand  and 
Charybdis  on  the  other."  It  was  such  a  morning  as  one 
sees  rarely  throughout  even  a  lifetime.  The  Mediterra- 
nean with  its  changing  hues,  now  green,  noAv  brown,  was 
then  of  the  deepest,  clearest  blue,  just  as  was  the  cloudless 
sky  overhead,  while  the  brilliance  of  the  early  morniug 
sun  was  almost  overpowering.  The  Straits  are  very  nar- 
row, and  seem  just  a  little  ahead  of  the  ship  to  come  en- 
tirely together.  On  each  side  the  scenery  is  magnificent. 
I  think  we  agreed  with  each  other,  that  not  even  the  Bay 
of  Naples  was  finer.  The  latter  seems  very  much  alike 
round  a  great  part  of  its  semi-circular  form,  but  at  Mes- 


MRS.    MARY    GALLOWAY    CiTFFEN.  81 

sina  the  view  was  always  changing,  always  new,  and  so 
boldly,  beautifully  picturesque.  The  mountain  peak.s 
towered  grandly  uj)  everywhere,  and  there  seemed  to  be 
one  continuous  village  along  their  slopes.  Mount  Etna  came 
into  view  early  in  the  morning,  and  seemed  to  be  a  great 
white  dome  on  the  summit  of  an  immense  cone.  At  four 
P.  M.  we  would  pass  very  near  and  be  able  to  secure  an 
excellent  view,  but  the  blinding  glare  of  the  sun,  and 
wind,  and,  above  all,  "  the  pitiless  sea,"  drove  me  from  the 
deck,  with  a  feeling  that  a  dozen  Etnas  would  not  take  me 
back  up  there.  Indeed,  I  "  surrendered  unconditionally," 
without  any  expectation  of  seeing  either  deck  or  table 
any  more  till  we  should  be  ready  to  go  ashore,  but  to  my  sur- 
prise all  our  party  spent  the  last  day  up  stairs  most  pleas- 
antly. AVe  passed  near  the  scene  of  Paul's  shipwreck, 
looked  at  the  precipitous  cliffs  of  the  Island  of  Crete,  and 
thought  as  we  looked  at  a  pretty  white  village  away  up 
above  the  waves,  of  the  great  Apostle's  reiteration  of  the 
poet's  assertion,  "The  Cretans  are  always  liars." 

Friday  morning  we  knew  that  we  were  not  far  from  our 
long  looked  for  destination,  that  we  would  see  the  light- 
house perhaps  by  ten  or  eleven  o'clock,  and  our  thoughts 
and  conversation  were  so  occupied  with  Egypt  and  our 
future  life  and  work  there,  that  we  did  not  feel  at  all  like 
going  down  to  our  rooms,  but  we  were  told  that  the  en- 
trance to  the  harbor  was  a  very  dangerous  one,  and  was 
attempted  only  in  daylight,  that  ships  always  lie  to  and 
wait  for  morning.  So  we  concluded  to  take  things  quietly, 
go  to  sleep,  and  wake  up  as  fresh  as  possible  for  the  first 
glimpse  of  Alexandria.  And  now  here  we  are  at  nine 
o'clock  Saturday  morning  lying  in  the  harbor,  the  gentle- 
men having  gone  ashore  to  find  Mr.  Ewing,  and  the  ladies 
contenting  themselves  as  be.st  they  can  by  finishing  up  their 


82  LIFE   AND    LETTERS   OF 

letters  before  taking  more  than  a  Ijird's  eye  view  of  this 
strange  city.  In  an  hour  or  two-  we  hope  to  be  in  the 
home  of  some  of  i)ur  friends,  and  to  feel  that,  at  least  for 
a  time,  our  wanderings  are  over. 

\ 


CHAPTER  VI I. 

ALEXANDRIA. 


"  At  ten  o'clock  last  Saturday  morning  we  found  our- 
selves on  Egyptian  soil.  Going  on  deck  all  sorts  of  strange 
sights  met  our  eyes.  The  city  lay  stretched  out  before  us 
with  its  mosques,  domes,  turrets  and  towers.  Just  to  our 
left  was  one  out  of  the  many  of  the  Viceroy's  splendid 
palaces,  and  the  whole  view  on  the  shore  as  well  as  in  the  har- 
bor, had  an  indescribable  something  about  it  which  was 
diiferent  in  its  effect  from  anything  we  ever  saw  before. 
Arabs  were  walking  leisurely  around  the  deck,  while  be- 
low dozens  of  row-boats  with  their  swarthy  rowers  were 
swarming  around  the  ship  and  keeping  the  sharpest  "  look 
out"  for  any  simple  fish  which  might  drop  into  their  shark- 
like jaws.  One  of  these  natives  was  standing  at  the  head 
of  the  stairs  when  we  came  up  laughing  all  over  his  yel- 
low face  at  the  idea  of  getting  such  a  cargo  to  the  wharf  On 
my  inquiring  of  the  gentlemen  if  he  were  a  Copt  he  laughed 
more  broadly  still  and  answered  himself  in  broken  English, 
"  I  your  boatman."  He  wore  a  crimson  turban,  and  a  loose, 
clean,  white  robe,  I  suppose  I  might  call  it  in  the  absence 
of  a  better  name,  fastened  in  at  the  waist  with  a  crimson 
girdle  made  of  several  yards  of  cloth  twisted  and  bound 


Mrs.    MARY   OALLOWAY   (ilFFEN.  80 

tightly  around  tlie  person.  The  dress  of  this  one  was  very 
8hort,  reaching  but  little  more  than  below  the  knee.  The 
other  rower  was  clad  in  the  same  primitive  style  except 
that  his  "  outer  garment"  was  dark  blue.  No  two  looked 
alike,  in  fact  of  all  the  nondescript  styles  of  dress  for  mhi 
that  ever  we  saw  we  concluded  that  these  were  either  the 
worst  or  the  best,  the  highest  or  the  lowest.  Then  when 
we  stepped  ashore  such  a  Babel ! — such  an  Arabic  Babel ! 
How  they  gesticulated  and  screamed  and  literally  yelled 
in  our  faces,  and  how  angry  they  seemed.  Yet  that  we 
found  was  only  the  Arab  style  of  being  "  in  earnest" — 
driving  a  bargain.  Our  missionary  friends  understand 
this  species  of  humanity  of  course,  and  they  pushed  through 
them  and  took  us  directly  to  the  Custom  House,  a  Coptic 
officer  of  which  had  come  from  the  shore  to  the  ship  in 
order  to  keep  Messrs.  A.  and  G.  in  sight  until  all  oui-  pass- 
j)orts  should  be  forthcoming.  He  kept  right  at  our  elbow 
until  all  forms  were  duly  complied  with,  and  we  furnished 
with  small  squares  of  tin  in  order  to  admit  us  into  the 
city.  Mr.  Strang  took  a  carriage  for  us,  got  us  and  our 
luggage  into  it  amid  a  torrent  of  deafening  gutturals  about 
the  price,  quietly  handed  the  driver  what  he  knew  to  be 
(piite  sufficient,  though  it  was  but  one-third  of  his  demand, 
and  then  read  in  his  eye  that  it  was  one  shilling  more  than 
he  expected  to  receive.  '  And  now  our  eyes  began  to  dilate 
more  and  more.  One  of  us,  at  least,  might  have  sat  for  a 
picture  of  Wonder,  another  for  Amusement,  and  perhaps 
one  might  have  passed  for  Disgust,  while  the  fourth  one 
was  taking  position  as  Philosophy. 

The  carriage  just  wound  about  in  the  narrow  crooked 
streets  with  often  only  room  to  creep  past  the  people  walk- 
ing, turning  this  way  to  avoid  driving  over  a  poor  Arab 
asleep  in  the  sun   beside  his  basket  of  bi-ead    and    eggs. 


84  LIFE    AND    LETTERS   OF 

snoring  away  undistiu'bed  by  the  swarm  of  flies  which  was 
very  energetically  engaged  in  exploring  the  unknown  re- 
gions of  his  wide  open  mouth  ;  now  turning  that  way  to 
keep  off"  an  old  woman's  feet  as  she  cried  her  basket  of 
\'^getables  and  shouted,  "  Keep  oif :  Do  you  not  know  this 
is  the  market? "  Now  we  turn  into  a  wider  street,  and  the 
driver  calls  into  requisition  all  his  skill  to  get  past  asiream 
of  donkeys,  drays,  carriages,  dogs,  men,  women  and  chil- 
dren, all  the  time  screaming  to  them,  "  Keep  out  of  my 
way  and  I'll  keep  out  of  yours!  "  On  every  side  were  queer 
little  shops,  Avith  queerer-looking  shop-keepers.  Perhaps 
the  whole  "  stock  in  trade  "  would  be  a  half  dozen  bushels 
of  nuts  in  one,  or  a  bushel  of  apples  in  another,  a  few 
baskets  of  native  beans  in  a  third,  a  handful  of  tobacco  in 
a  fourth,  some  ugly  cheese  in  a  fifth,  etc.,  &c.  All  the 
shops  are  raised  two  or  three  feet  from  the  ground,  and  the 
jji-oprietor  or  salesman  sits  in  the  midst  of  his  goods.  Here 
would  be  somebody  cooking  on  the  street,  there  a  man  tak- 
ing his  breakfast.  Here  was  a  shoemaker  plying  his  trade. 
Beside  him  might  have  been  a  repairer  of  old  water  bags 
made  of  entire  goat  skins.  Here  was  a  dyeing  establish- 
ment, with  the  wet  goods  hung  in  the  street  to  dry.  Here 
a  case  of  jewelry,  perhaps  out  in  the  street,  with  the 
owner  sitting  on  the  ground  beside  it  holding  an  umbrella 
over  it  or  himself,  or  may  be  both.  Here  is  a  native 
woman  in  a  rose-colored  silk  dress.  There  is  another  in  a 
light  blue  one.  Both  are  in  Frank*  style  except  that  they 
wear  a  white  cloth  over  their  heads  instead  of  a  hat.  But 
the  most  marvelous  of  all  was  the  peculiar  native  dress,  or 
veil  rather,  for  the  women,  which  is  sometimes  white,  but 
oftener  black  and  blue.  When  black  it  is  very,  very  dis- 
mal looking,  and  when  white  it  gives  one  the  sensation  of 
*Egyptian  term  t\n-  Fureigx  as  opposed  to  mitlir. 


MRS.    MARY   GALLOWAY    GIFFEX.  85 

having  ^^een  a  ghost.  It  i.s  called  the  habarah,  and  is,  in 
shape,  like  a  sheet  I  think.  They  put  it  over  the  head, 
bring  it  round  in  front,  letting  it  reach  to  the  feet  all 
round,  lap  it  over  and  push  it  under  a  belt  at  the  waist, 
leaving  some  freedom  to  the  arms.  Of  course  then  it  gives 
a  straight  corpse-like  figure  which  is  startling  when,  as  we 
did  this  morning,  you  happen  to  stumble  suddenly  u])on 
three  or  four  pure  white  habarahs  gliding  along  the  street. 
But,  as  if  this  costume  were  not  yet  sufficiently  hideous, 
they  fasten  a  piece  of  cloth  over  the  face  just  below  the 
eyes  by  means  of  a  reed  Avhich  is  placed  up  and  down  the 
forehead,  and  which  is  ornamented  with  a  number  of  gold 
rings.  I  never  see  one  of  these  reeds  on  a  woman's  fore- 
head without  being  forcibly  reminded  of  the  yokes  Avhich  I 
used  to  see  put  on  the  heads  of  unruly  animals  to  reduce 
them  to  submission — not  that  there  is  a  resemblance  in 
form,  but  it  seems  so  uncomfortable  to  be  boiind  up  in  that 
close  ugly  fashion.  They  regard  it  a  great  disgrace  for 
the  mouth  to  be  exposed,  particularly  for  profane  eyes  to 
witness  such  a  modest,  refined  performance  as  an  Arab 
woman  taking  her  meals.  She  keeps  her  veil  down  and 
stealthily  conveys  her  food  bit  by  bit  to  her  lips,  under  its 
thick  folds.  But  no  description  can  do  one  of  these 
habarahs  justice. 

But  to  return  to  our  drive  to  the  Mission  House.  We 
reached  there  of  course  in  much  less  time  than  I  have 
taken  to  tell  you  about  it,  and  found  a  warm  welcome 
awaiting  us.  I  am  sure  you  can  imagine  our  sensations 
better  than  I  can  describe  them.  I  am  sure  I  was  scarcely 
conscious  that  I  had  never  met  any  of  the  Missionaries 
before,  and  not  for  one  moment  did  I  feel  inclined  to  in- 
dulge in  any  form  of  homesickness,  that  terrible  malady 
which  has  always  heretofore  attacked  me  most  violently  on 
first  finding  myself  in  a  new  and  strange  situation. 


86  LIFE   AND    LETTERS   OF 

It  is  rather  a  queer  thought,  though,  that  America  is  not 
to  be  our  home  any  more;  that  here  we  are  to  live  and 
work,  and  if  God  will,  die  here." 

The  mission  to  Egypt  was  commenced  in  the  year  1854. 
In  the  fall  of  1853,  Dr.  J.  G.  Paulding,  of  the  Associate 
Reformed  church  mission  at  Damascus,  visited  Egypt  to 
ascertain  if  a  mission  could  be  successfiilly  established  in 
that  country.  His  impressions  were  decidedly  favorable. 
In  1854  Rev.  Thomas  McCague  and  wife  sailed  for  Egypt 
to  inaugurate  a  mission.  They  were  soon  joined  by  Rev. 
James  Barnett  from  the  Damascus  mission.  In  two  years 
afterward  Dr.  Lansing  from  the  same  mission  was  located 
at  Alexandria  and  Avas  assisted  by  Mr.  John  Hogg,  (now 
Dr.  Hogg),  of  Scotland.  Miss  Sarah  Dales,  (now  Mrs. 
Lansing),  also  of  the  Damascus  mission,  soon  joined  them. 
This  was  the  incipiency  of  the  mission,  and  nearly  every 
year  since  has  witnessed  some  increase  of  the  working 
force. 

In  regard  to  this  mission,  Dr.  Monfort,  of  the  Herald 
and  Pre><br/ter,  says :  "  Before  I  went  to  Egypt  I  had  heard 
it  as  the  judgment  of  missionaries  of  the  American  Board 
in  Turkey,  and  of  the  Presbyterian  Board  in  Syria,  that 
the  Avork  of  the  United  Presbyterian  Board  in  Egypt  was 
very  prosperous  and  hopeful,  and  that  the  missionaries  in 
charge  were  highly  qualified  and  very  efficient.  With  as 
nuich  deliberation  as  I  ever  expressed  an  opinion,  I  must 
say  that  these  persons,  taken  together,  as  a  band  of  laborers, 
are  entitled  to  the  first  rank  among  laborers  in  the  foreign 
field."  Drs.  Barr  and  Stewart  who  were  sent  out  by  the 
U.  P.  Board  of  Missions,  to  inspect  their  missions,  say  in 
their  report :  "  From  our  survey  of  the  fields  and  the  work, 
Ave  Avould  here  testify  to  the  faithfulness  and  efficiency  of 
our  missionaries,  both  male  and  female,  and  express  the 


MRS.    MARY    GALLOWAY   rJIFFEN.  87 

conviction  that  there  are  few,  if  any,  more  successful 
missions  under  the  care  of  any  church,  than  our  own  in 
Egypt."  "  The  missionaries  select  great  centres  and 
operate  in  these,  and  from  these.  On  the  Sabbath  they 
preach  regularly  in  the  churches  or  stations.  They  make 
use  of  schools,  colleges  and  other  institutions  of  learning. 
Orphanages  and  hospitals  are  established.  Itinerating 
tours  are  made.  Books  and  tracts  are  distributed.  General 
visitation  is  done,  and  supervision  exercised.  House  to 
house  visitation  or  Zenana  work  is  performed  by  the  female 
missionaries." 

This  then  was  the  mission  into  which  ^Irs.  (rifien  had 
entered  and  these  her  fellow-laborers  in  toil.  The  present 
statistics  of  this  mission,  are  as  follows  : 

Foreign  luissionaries,  male  and  female, 21 

Native  ministers, 11 

Teachers  and  helpers, 124 

Total  working  force, loO 

Communicants, 1140 

"  I  know  you  are  quite  anxious  to  hear  our  impressicnis 
of  Mission  Work  in  Alexandria,  and  I  am  equally  as 
anxious  to  tell  you  how  much  gratification  and  encourage- 
ment our  first  Sabbath  here  afforded  us.  The  previous 
afternoon,  just  on  our  arrival  at  Mr.  Ewing's,  the  native 
pastor,  Aboona  Buktor,  called  and  was  introduced  to  us. 
He  was  formerly  a  priest  in  the  Coptic  Church  and  is  still 
so  called,  Aboona  being  the  Arabic  term.  He  greeted  us 
in  a  very  warm,  friendly  way,  and  seemed  quite  as  much 
interested  as  the  missionaries  in  our  arrival.  He  is  a  tall 
slender  man  of  quite  brown  complexion,  and  was  altogether 
in  native  dress.  You  may  imagine  that  we  looked  at  him 
with  peculiar  interest.  His  presence  was  a  most  convincing 
argument  of   the  success  of  Missions  here,  for  had   he 


88  LIFE   AND    LETTERS   OF 

remained  in  the  Coptic  Churcli  lie  would  now  have  been 
Patriarch.  On  leaving  he  extended  us  the  usual  good-bye 
— May  your  evening  he  blessed,  and  added  "  God  be  praised 
that  you  have  come  in  peace  ! "  iSabbath  morning  at  eight 
o'clock  we  were  off  for  Arabic  service.  On  goinc^  in  we 
found  one-fourth  of  the  church  curtained  off  from  the  rest 
for  the  women,  by  means  of  a  temporary  arrangement 
Avhich  is  easilv  removed  when  our  service  is  over.  Here 
we  took  our  seats,  amid,  or  rather  in  front  of,  those  strange 
looking  women  and  heard  our  first  Arabic  sermon,  Mr. 
Strang  occupying  the  pulpit  for  the  day.  I  think  I  may 
safely  say  I  was  edified,  notwithstanding  I  did  not  catch 
one  single  articulate  sound  from  the  sermon.  The  stillness, 
the  perfect  quiet  of  the  audience  was  marked.  There  was 
not  a  sound  other  than  the  preacher's  voice  save  the  welcome 
rustle  of  the  leaves  as  the  men  looked  up  every  passage 
referred  to  in  the  sermon.  The  singing  was  really  beautiful, 
veiy  smooth  and  nuisical,  and  every  way  so  much  nicer 
than  we  heard  an  hour  later  in  the  English  service.  There 
Avere  perhaps  sixty  or  sixty-five  natives  present,  of  whom 
thirteen  were  women.  After  service  Mrs.  S.  introduced 
me  to  all  the  latter  as  "8itt  Gededa" — the  new  lady — and 
they  shook  my  hand  quite  cordially.  The  little  girls  first 
touched  my  hand  with  their  lips  and  then  raised  it  to  their 
forehead,  which  is  a  form  of  salutation  used  by  inferiors. 
The  women,  of  course,  all  wore  habarahs,  either  white  or 
black,  and  nearly  all  had  on  quite  an  amount  of  jewelry. 
One  of  them  had  at  least  half  a  dozen  strands  of  pearls  in 
her  necklace,  immense  sprays  of  them  for  earrings,  and  two 
or  three  very  large  rings  on  her  fingers,  also  set  with  them. 
A  native  woman's  earrings,  by  the  way,  must  be  seen  to  be 
appreciated.  These  were  almost  the  size  of  the  palm  of 
your  hand.     The  men,  of  course,   constituted   much  the 


MRS.   MARY   GALLOWAY   GIFFEN.  89 

more  intelligent  part  of  the  audience.  They  were  very 
l)right  looking — several  of  them  quite  handsome  in  fact. 
Perhaps  half  of  them  were  in  Frank  dress — except  the 
tarboosh,  which  is  never  discarded.  They  lingered  around 
the  gate  a  few  moments  and  were  introduced  to  us.  Almost 
all  made  some  pleasant  little  remark  which  our  friends 
translated  for  us,  and  one  or  two  greeted  us  in  very  pretty 
English.  About  ten  of  the  women  are  mem'bers  of  the 
church,  and  probably  there  is  an  equal  proportion  of  the 
men,  but  of  this  I  am  not  sure.  Anyway  it  was  a  cheering 
sight,  those  native  women  once  so  ignorant,  now  regular 
attendants  and  members  of  a  Protestant  church,  and  those 
self-righteous  Coptic  men,  now  such  careful,  attentive, 
intelligent  hearers  of  the  Gospel  of  Jesus  Christ  I 

After  I  learned  the  al})habet  and  began  spe/liiig  a  little, 
Mrs.  Ewing  proposed  taking  me  with  her,  partly  for  the 
exercise  but  principally  that  I  nught  accustom  my  ear  t<> 
native  accent  and  pronunciation.  I  was  at  first  very 
reluctant  to  go.  I  could  not  overcome  my  repugnance  to 
the  idea  of  riding  a  donkey,  and  I  dreaded  the  interior  of 
native  houses.  I  suppose  I  had  a  little  wicked  feeling  that 
it  would  be  time  enough  to  go  among  them  and  take  their 
famous  coffee  and  other  refreshments  when  I  knew  their 
language  somewhat  and  could  urge  duty  as  a  plea  for 
submitting  to  the  infliction.  However,  Mrs.  E.  continued 
to  urge  me,  saying  that  she  did  not  know  how  to  explain 
it,  but  she  always  came  back  from  there  Avith  such  a 
bouyant,  cheerful  feeling,  that  she  was  sure  it  did  her  good 
to  go,  and  that  the  other  ladies  felt  the  same  way  about  it. 
In  a  desperate  sort  of  a  way  I  at  last  consented,  the  donkeys 
were  ordered,  and  Mr.  Ewing  went  down  to  see  us  off.  The 
miserable  little  things  do  not  look  much  more  than  twice 
the  size  of  the  saddle,  and  are  very  little  taller  than  the 


90  LIFE   AND   LETTERS   OF 

top  of  a  chair.  Well,  yes,  I  suppose  that  is  a  little 
exaggeration  of  their  diminutiveness  and  general  insignifi- 
cance, but  really  their  ears  do  seem  to  be  a  very  large  part 
of  them.  The  saddles  are,  like  most  other  things  here,  a 
peculiarly  oriental  institution,  not  like  anything  you  ever 
saw  in  the  Western  World.  There  is  a  frame  of  some  kind 
to  which  the  stirrups  are  attached  and  the  rest  is  cloth  and 
wadding.  There  are  no  "  ladies'  saddles  "  either.  Native 
men  and  women  all  ride  alike,  but  for  Frank  women  they 
knot  up  the  superfluous  stirrup,  and  the  pommel  of  the 
saddle  answers  the  purpose  of  our  "  horn." 

JNIy  introduction  to  my  first  donkey  did  not  greatly 
prepossess  me  in  his  favor,  though  I  suppose  he  was  a  fair 
specimen  of  his  race.  If  any  living  creature  ever  did  look 
like  "  patience  on  a  monument"  he  did.  It  was  decidedly 
fair  to  say  he  looked  all  "  ears,  saddle  and  bridle,"  for  he 
wore  two  of  the  latter,  though  it  seemed  to  me  fine  ironv 
to  suppose  that  one  was  not  more  than  sufficient  to  manage 
him.  To  add  to  his  ungainliness  he  had  very  recently  been 
b((th  "shorn  and  shaven"  and  "his  bones  stood  out."  The 
donkey  boys  assured  us  they  were  fine  fellows,  and  after  a  time 
Mr.  Ewing  got  me  into  the  saddle,  gave  me  the  reins  and 
I  started.  The  little  fellow  impressed  me  as  being  very 
weak  in  his  constitution,  at  any  rate  in  his  back  and  limbs, 
but  they  all  said  he  would  improve  after  we  rode  awhile. 
We  turned  the  corner  and  went  about  fifty  yards,  when 
they  both  commenced  pacing  very  nicely  indeed.  There 
was  a  large  stone  building  going  up  very  near  us,  and  many 
of  the  fragments  were  lying  around ;  just  when  I  was 
beginning  to  repent  some  of  my  harsh  judgments  about  my 
donkey  he  struck  his  foot  on  a  stone,  fell  sprawling,  tumbled 
me  over  in  the  dust  and  wound  up  by  rolling  over  on  top 
of  me.     The  donkey  boys  pulled  him  up  pretty  soon,  said 


MRS.    MARY   GALLOWAY   GIFFEN.  91 

nice  things  to  liiin  in  Arahic,  and  I  j)icke(l  myself  \\\)  with 
the  impression  tliat  1  had  a  very  badly  sprained  ankle. 
One  of*  the  workmen  ran  out  very  kindly  with  a  cup  of  cold 
water,  and  Mr.  Ewing  very  soon  came  to  our  relief.  In  a 
few  minutes  I  found  that  I  was  only  bruised  a  little  and  we 
got  on  and  started  again.  It  was  a  very  pretty  ride  out, 
and  as  you  pass  through  "  the  gates,"  by  the  palm  grove 
and  by  large  fig  trees,  and  get  out  into  the  desert  one  realizes 
more  than  ever  that  you  are  in  an  eastern  country.  The 
glare  of  the  sun  was  very  trying  on  my  eyes  at  first.  I  rode 
with  them  closed  as  much  as  I  dared  on  my  stumbling 
donkey,  not  only  to  shut  out  the  light,  but,  what  is  far 
worse,  the  limestone  dust,  which  is  extremely  excoriating  to 
the  eye.  We  stopped  first  at  Al)oona  Bukt(n-'s.  He  lives 
in  a  large  stone  house — that  is,  like  other  people,  he  has  a 
suite  of  rooms,  perhaps  one  floor  of  a  house  ;  and  although 
the  stairway  looked  very  forbidding,  yet  we  were  shown 
into  a  nice  plastered  ro(Mn,  with  high  ceiling  and  good 
window  s.  There  was  a  very  neat  set  of  plain  parlor  chairs, 
one  or  two  tables  and  a  divan,  extending  the  whole  length 
of  the  room.  On  this  sat  the  Aboona  writing  a  sermon. 
His  Bible  and  some  other  books  lay  beside  him.  He  and 
his  wife  received  us  very  cordially,  inquired  for  "  our  state,' 
etc.,  etc.  Immediately  the  Sitt  went  out  and  ordered 
refreshments  in  the  shape  of  a  glass  of  tam-a-ra-hind.  It  is 
a  concoction  jieculiar  to  the  East,  and  is  not  quite  as  palatal)le 
as  bad  vinegar  and  water.  It  was  well  sugared,  but  we 
did  not  see  the  process  of  putting  in  that  ingredient,  though 
there  were  no  spoons  in  sight.  I  held  my  breath  and  drank 
hard.  The  Aboona  then  inquired  after  my  progress  in 
Arabic,  wished  to  know  my  particular  difficulties.  Mrs. 
Ewing  told  him  I  was  past  b-a,  ha,  b-o,  bo,  etc.,  and  that  I 
was  getting  on  respectably.    He  said  iy-ib,  (good)  and  smiled 


92  LIFE   AND    LETTERS   OF 

on  me  approvingly.  Then  he  had  his  wife  to  bring  in  their 
wallad  and  hint,  (boy  and  girl )  for  us  to  admire,  and  in  fact 
they  were  very  good-looking  children.  They  and  their 
mother  were  in  a  kind  of  a  half  Frank  style,  and  did  not 
look  so  badly.  Having  made  our  compliments  to  them  we 
mounted  our  donkeys  and  rode  on  to  the  next  house,  Avhich 
was  also  a  second  story.  There  is  always  a  heavy  iron 
knocker  on  the  door  at  the  foot  of  the  stairs,  and  if  you 
want  to  go  in,  where  there  is  no  bow-wab,  you  strike  the 
knocker  and  call  out  your  name.  ^[rs.  E.  gave  this  one  a 
vigorous  rattle  and  called  out,  "Ana,  8itt!"  which  is 
equivalent  to  "  I,  the  lady,"  in  English.  8itt  Bista  received 
us  vQry  pleasantly,  and  escorted  us  through  the  hall  into 
her  drawing  room.  I  do  not  use  this  last  term  in  any  irony 
either.  It  was  a  nice  room,  and  was  furnished  Avith  two 
very  handsome  divans.  In  one  corner  was  a  pretty 
circular  tal)le,  which  with  a  few  very  good  chairs,  completed 
the  furniture  of  the  room.  It  sounds  rather  nicely,  does  it 
not,  these  really  good  pieces  of  furniture  in  a  Coptic 
drawing  room.  It  doesn't  seem  so  verv  disao-reeable  to 
crawl  up  on  tlutse  pretty  divans,  loll  lazily  on  as  nniny 
cushions  as  you  like  to  luive  about  you  and  look  at  your 
full  length  portrait  in  the  mirror  every  time  you  get  on 
your  feet.  Oh,  but  my  good  friends  you  didn't  peep  into 
the  kitchen,  as  we  did  when  we  went  tlirough  the  hall  ; 
you  didn't  see  the  rubbish  of  centuries,  apparently,  ])iled 
up  in  there  till  it  got  so  tldch  that  the  cooking  seemed  to 
have  been  moved  out  into  the  hall  from  dire  necessity ;  you 
didn't  look  into  the  open  bed  room  door  and  see  bed  clothes, 
wearing  apparel,  shoes,  lamps,  books,  dishes,  withered 
vegetables,  old  chairs,  torn  mats,  broken  tables,  oil  cans 
and  every  other  such  thing  imaginable,  mingled  together  as  if 
they  might  have  been  churned   up   in   a  whirlwind  for  a 


MRS.    MAKY    (lALLOWAY    GIP'FEN.  93 

week.  You  didu'L  draw  your  breath  in  easily  and  softly 
to  keep  from  taking  in  an  unnecessary  amount  of  the  black 
looking  dust  which  has  been  sailing  around  through  that 
house  ever  since  it  has  l)een  a  house,  but  last,  most  and 
worst  of  all  you  didn't  inhale  the  awful  odors  which  breathed 
around  that  house  !  How  anybody  lives  in  it  is  a  marvel 
to  me.  I  am  sure  it  would  give  any  Frank  a  fever  in  two 
days. 

Well  our  hostess  seated  us  very  nicely,  sat  down  herself 
and  talked  in  a  quiet,  easy  way  for  a  few  moments,  and 
then  went  out  for  some  glasses  of  tamarahind.  My  goblet 
had  unmistakably  the  dust  of  a  week  settled  on  it,  and 
there  Avere  not  wanting  indications  that  it  had  been  used 
at  least  once  before  since  it  had  been  subjected  to  a  bath. 
I  looked  at  it  in  dismay,  but  I  decided  that  delay  would 
be  fatal,  and  immediately  I  began  to  drink  it.  But  I  got 
on  badly  and  at  length  gave  it  up  with  half  the  contents 
yet  in  the  goblet.  Sitt  Bista  saw  it  and  concluded  that  Sitt 
Gededah  hadn't  learned  to  drink  tamarahind  yet,  but  per- 
haps might  get  on  better  with  coffee.  So  off  she  went  again 
and  made  coffee  in  the  hall,  the  fire  being  in  a  little  bra- 
sier,  the  coffee  urn  being  about  a  half  pint  in  size,  and  the 
cups  in  which  the  c(^liee  was  served  about  the  size  of  an 
egg.  They  are  of  beautiful  china,  and  instead  of  a  saucer 
the  cup  of  coffee  is  placed  within  another  which  has  a  lit- 
tle pedestal.  The  coffee  is  pounded  very  fine  instead  of 
being  ground,  and  to  it  Arabs  add  pounded  spices  and  not 
infrequently  nuts  also.  I  contrived  to  dispose  of  this  de- 
coction lest  a  worse  should  come  in  its  place,  and  then  the 
Bibles  were  brought  out,  a  chapter  read,  and  we  took  our 
leave. 

The  next  house  made  no  attempt  at  style,  the  divans 
were  there,  but  the  coverings  and  mattresses  were  all  piled 


94  LIFE   AND    LETTERS   OF 

up  in  a  corner  and  there  was  dust  everywhere,  but  the  Sitt 
was  a  pleasant  j^retty  woman,  just  what  would  be  called  a 
beautiful  brunette  at  home.  8he  wore  a  neat  print  wrap- 
per and  her  house  had  plenty  of  good  fresh  air  about  it.  She 
is  very  proud  of  being  able  to  read  and  brought  in  her  Bible 
immediately.  I  am  sure  nobody  in  America  ever  heard 
such  reading  as  she  did.  It  would  tear  a  western  woman's 
throat  to  pieces  to  thunder  out  such  terrible  gutturals  in 
her  style.  It  was  stunning,  startling  and  deafening  all  at 
the  same  time. 

At  the  third  house  there  had  been  a  whirlwind  in  the 
drawing-room  as  well  as  in  the  bed-room,  and  this  without 
any  exaggeration.  The  divan  frames  were  in  their  place, 
but  their  furniture,  the  tables,  chairs,  rockers,  baby's  car- 
riage, books  and  everything  else  were  in  terrible  confu- 
sion. However  they  explained  that  the  room  had  leaked 
the  night  before,  and,  beside,  the  baby,  the  last  child  of 
eight,  was  sick  and  its  mother  was  shut  up  with  it  in  her 
bed-room,  where  the  air  was  truly  stifling.  The  father  is 
a  scribe,  and  is  a  very  handsome  man,  besides  being  hand- 
somely dressed.  Indeed  it  is  a  handsome  family.  The 
baby  is  a  bright,  intelligent  child,  and  if  it  was  treated  to 
a  moderate  supply  of  warm  water  and  fresh  clothing,  it 
would  be  hard  to  find  a  prettier  one.  He  is  eight  months 
old  and  he  is  engaged  to  a  double  cousin  across  the  street 
of  about  his  own  age.  I  think  there  are  two  mothers-in- 
law  in  both  these  families,  and  they  are  such  looking 
creatures  as  one  would  run  from  at  home,  but  no  matter 
what  they  are  doing  they  always  kiss  i(.s  on  both  cheeks. 
You  may  guess  how  thankful  I  am  that  they  do  not  be- 
lieve in  the  economical  American  style  of  doing  it  all  at 
once  on  your  lips.  Even  as  it  is,  it  is  almost  unendurable 
to  catch  their  breath  as  they  pass  from  one  side  to  the 


MRS.    MARY   GALLOWAY   GlFFEN.  95 

other.  Botli  houses  are  terrible,  I  never  saw  anything 
like  it,  and  yet  all  these  families  are  in  good  circumstances. 
Their  houses  are  as  good  as  we  live  in,  and  if  they  would, 
they  might  be  so  cozy  and  comfortable.  Still  I  am  sure  I 
could  soon  become  quite  attached  to  these  women,  and 
after  a  little  perhai)S  I  shall  not  mind  their  terrible  houses, 
their  spiced  coft'ee,  the  dust,  the  fleas,  etc. 

Never  in  my  life  I  think  did  I  so  ap})reciate  God's  pure 
fresh  air,  as  when  we  came  down  from  the  hist  house,  got 
on  our  donkeys  and  started  for  home.  I  saAV  very  clearly 
why  the  ladies  all  felt  so  comfortable  on  returning  from 
there. 

Would  you  like  to  have  some  additional  "  impressions  " 
of  Alexandria  ?  Leaving  the  bazaars,  the  "  fish  market," 
the  orange  market,  the  fruit  and  vegetable  markets,  the 
native  shops  with  their  "  thousand  and  one"  venders  of  as 
many  different  commodities,  you  need  walk  but  a  very 
short  distance  to  find  yourself  in  what  seems  a  beautiful 
European  city.  You  "  elbow  "  your  way  through  a  noisy, 
busy,  chattering  jam  of  every  nationality  under  the  sun 
apparently,  where  there  is  nothing  scarcely  that  you  ever 
saw  before,  where  you  can  not  throw  off  the  feeling  of 
being  in  another  world  almost,  and  you  turn  a  corner  or 
two,  enter  wide,  well-paved,  handsome  streets,  with  great 
rows  of  massive  stone  buildings  on  either  side,  and  with- 
out stretching  your  imagination  very  much,  you  think  for 
a  moment  you  are  back  on  the  Continent.  It  is  only  for 
a  moment,  however,  for  the  yellow  faces  of  the  natives, 
their  strange  costumes,  and  especially  the  crimson  tarboosh, 
which  gentlemen  of  every  nationality  seem  to  like  to  wear 
very  soon  convince  you  that  you  are  neither  in  Florence, 
Rome  nor  Naples,  but  in  Alexandria,  and  that,  at  least  on 
the  square,  it  will  not  sufter  in  comparison  with  any  one 


96  LIFE   AND    LETTERS   OP 

of  the  three  former  cities.  There  is  a  picturesqueness,  a 
novel  beauty  about  the  scene  on  the  Square  here  which 
has  no  counterpart  in  Europe.  It  is  especially  interesting 
to  me  to  creep  lazily  along  late  in  the  afternoon,  enjoy  the 
pure,  fresh  air,  and  watch  these  strange,  black-eyed  people. 
Tlie  Square  is  enclosed  by  great  chains  fastened  to  iron  posts, 
with  here  and  there  an  opening  sufficient  to  admit  pedes- 
trians. All  round  the  four  sides  of  the  long  parallelogram 
which  it  forms,  runs  a  wide,  handsome  street  on  which  open 
very  pretty  stores,  with  large  windows  filled  with  ribbons, 
flowers,  laces,  jewelry,  and  the  whole  of  that  catalogue. 
In  one  window  the  other  day  I  saw  a  silver  bedstead  dis- 
played, and  in  another  some  baskets  of  beautiful  wax  fruit 
and  flowers.  At  the  latter  I  stopped,  looked  in,  made  a 
journey  over  the  ocean  while  doing  so,  and  walked  into  a 
certain  department  in  your  College.  It  was  "noon"  witli 
you,  and  I  venture  I  saw  what  was  going  on  in  that  de- 
partment very  exactly.  At  the  head  of  the  Square  is  a 
very  handsome  stone  building  which  is  colored  very  pale 
blue,  and  on  its  front  is  "  Egyptian  Telegraph,"  in  large 
letters  which  gives  you  an  idea  of  quite  a  civilized  govern- 
ment. Just  near  too  the  United  States  flag  floats  over  the 
the  American  Consulate,  but  it  is  rather  difficult  to  get  up 
much  enthusiasm  over  it,  for  one  rarely  ever  finds  an 
American  clerk,  even,  in  it.  The  Square  is  perhaps  three 
hundred  yards  long  by  one  hundred  in  width.  At  each 
side  a  double  row  of  acacia  trees  form  pretty  avenues  of 
perhaps  twenty  feet  in  width,  thus  leaving  a  much  wider 
one  in  the  center.  In  the  center  are  two  very  nice  kiosks 
for  the  Viceroy's  band  which  plays  there  every  Friday 
and  Sabbath  afternoon,  and  half-way  between  these  kiosks 
and  in  the  center  of  the  parallelogram  is  a  very  fine  eques- 
trian statue  of  Mohammed  Ali,  surrounded  by  a  heavy 


MRS.    MARY   GALLOWAY    GIFFEN.  97 

bronze  and  iron  railing,  outside  of'Avhicli  arecjuite  a  num- 
ber of  lamp-posts  of  the  same  material,  each  one  support- 
ing four  or  five  lamps.  So  you  see  the  grand  old  despot 
is  flooded  with  this  glaring  Egyptian  sunlight  all  thx'ough 
tiie  day,  and  as  soon  as  the  sun  has  bidden  him  good-night 
a  shoAver  of  lamp  light — I  was  going  to  say  fell  around 
him,  but  that  will  not  do,  for  he  is  away  above  the  lamps 
and  they  shine  up  in  his  face,  and  no  doubt  cause  a  pain- 
ful glare  in  the  old  hero's  eyes  as  he  looks  down  on  his 
f|Uondam  swarthy  subjects.  The  statue  stood  there  in  its 
[)lace  almost  a  year  before  "  public  opinion  "  would  allow 
it  to  be  "  unveiled."  jNIohammedans  have  a  great  horror 
of  everything  which  bears  the  least  approximation  to  any- 
thing like  the  worship  of  saints  and  images,  and  for  a  time 
they  resolutely  refused  to  see  any  difference  between  the 
wish  to  honor  a  national  hero  and  benefactor  by  keeping 
him  visibly  in  the  remembrance  of  his  country,  and  of 
making  his  statue  an  object  of  religious  worship  and 
thereby  robbing  Allah  of  due  glory. 

There  is  always  more  or  less  of  a  throng  around  this 
statue,  and  Avhen  the  band  is  in  the  kiosks,  the  whole 
square  is  crowded,  and  the  effect  is  almost  indescribable. 
Half  the  men  who  are  in  European,  or,  as  they  say  here, 
Frank  dress,  have  on  the  crimson  cap  with  its  graceful 
black  tassel  falling  fr(Mn  the  top,  and  these  tarbooshes 
moving  through  a  crowd  lirighten  it  up  in  a  .way  one  never 
sees  at  home.  But  the  entire  costume  of  the  other  half  of 
the  men  is  something  wonderful.  They  don  every  color,  and 
have  their  suits  made  up  in  very  gay  style  frequently. 
The  better  class  have  entire  suits  of  a  heavy  handsome  dark 
crimson  cloth,  which  is  very  much  worn.  It  is  also  much 
-  used  in  blue,  brown  and  green,  especially  "  invisible " 
green  and  a  yelloio  brown.     The  waist  is  tight  fitting,  al- 


98  LIFE   AND    LETTERS   OF 

most  like  the  waist  of  an  ordinary  coat,  thougli  tightly 
closed  up  in  front.  It  is  frequently  "  faced "  with  some 
kind  of  cloth  of  gold,  or  ornamented  in  various  ways  with 
gilt  cord  and  braid.  To  the  belt  of  this  waist  the  lt>ose 
trousers  are  fastened.  They  consist  of  ividths  and  ivldths 
of  the  cloth,  sewed  together  like  the  plain  straight  skirt 
of  a  di'ess,  cut  long  enough  to  reach  down  to  the  top  of  the 
foot  sometimes,  but  usually  somewhat  shorter.  At  the  top 
it  is  plaited  into  a  belt,  the  plaits  showing  a  depth  of  per- 
haps half  an  inch.  At  the  bottom  I  presume  it  is  simply 
sewed  together,  except  just  enough  for  the  foot  to  pass 
through  at  the  corners.  In  plain  terms  they  are  just  a  bag, 
gathered  in  at  the  top,  with  a  foot  protruding  from  each  of 
the  lower  corners.  The  other  day  when  I  was  Avaiting  for 
my  Greek  teacher  at  the  Mission  House,  Mrs.  S.  went  to  the 
study  and  asked  the  Moslem  Hheikh,  who  is  assisting  Mr. 
S.  in  the  revision  of  the  Psalms,  to  come  to  the  drawing- 
room  and  give  me  a  lesson.  He  came  in,  gave  me  a 
haughty  glance,  crawled  upon  the  Divan  and  sat  down  on 
his  feet.  I  was  as  unceremonious  as  he,  and  took  an  in- 
ventory of  him  before  beginning.  He  wore  an  immense 
turban  of  different  colors,  the  tight  twists  of  the  goods  go- 
ing round  his  head  ever  so  often.  Then  there  was  the 
black,  outside  robe  with  very  large  flowing  sleeves,  and 
under  that  was  a  very  handsome  silk  one,  a  blue  and  white 
stripe,  which  was  belted  in  with  a  twist  of  silk  goods  in 
various  colors,  green,  red  and  yellow  predominating.  This 
sash,  by  the  way  is  an  accompaniment  of  all  the  costumes 
except  that  of  the  lowest  class.  His  shoes  were  like  slip- 
pers, made  of  bright  yellow  and  scarlet  leather,  tapering 
to  a  very  sharp  point  and  turning  up  about  two  inches. 
The  lowest  class  wear  the  gcllibeyah,  which  is  nothing 
more  than  a  coarse  sack,  with  an  opening  at  each  of  the 


MRS.   MARY   GALLOWAY   GIFFEN.  90 

upper  cornei-s  to  admit  the  arms  and  one  in  tlie  middle  to 
admit  the  head.  Sometimes  it  has  short  sleeves  set  in  the 
openings,  and  simply  an  old  white  cloth  Avill  be  wrapped 
round  the  head.  Sometimes  there  will  be  some  effort  at 
shaping  this  i)rimitive  garment.  It  will  have  a  little  f'tiH- 
ness  given  it  and  a  pair  of  long  loose  sleeves,  and  the 
wearer  will  have  on  a  tarboosh  first,  and  then  a  Jarger  and 
cleaner  white  cloth  wrapped  round  the  outside.  He  may 
possibly  wear  shoes,  but  this  class  has  generally  no  cover- 
ing from  the  knee  down.  Other  classes  frequently  wear 
very  pretty  shoes.  Indeed  I  have  often  admired  their  taste 
in  this  part  of  their  dress,  and  they  almost  always  have  a 
finely  shaped  foot.  The  same  is  true  of  the  women,  too. 
Under  a  terribly  ugly  coarse-looking  habarah  you  will  see 
a  beautiful  foot  peep  out  encased  in  a  very  fancy  little  boot 
of  some  very  light  delicate  color,  almost  white.  Besides 
the  costumes  already  mentioned,  there  is  another  which  is 
very  striking  in  its  effect.  It  is  just  a  long  white  gown,  in 
shape  like  the  black,  outside  robe,  only  it  is  closed  up  in 
front,  and  generally  has  long  flowing  sleeves.  It  is  almost 
always  perfectly  clean,  in  fact  of  a  snowy  whiteness,  and 
is  made  apparently  of  ordinary  "  domestic  "  or  "  muslin." 
This,  the  tarboosh  and  the  shoes  are  the  only  visible  articles 
of  the  costume. 

Now  just  imagine  all  these  varieties  of  dress  worn  by 
people  of  every  hue  from  charcoal  black,  through  all  the 
grades  of  brown  and  yellow  up  to  the  purest  Caucasian 
white,  see  them  all  sauntering  round  the  kiosks  listening 
to  and  enjoying  very  spirited  music  by  a  band  of  twenty- 
four  performers,  all  dressed  in  the  military  uniform,  which, 
by  the  way,  is  a  coat  and  loose  pants  of  pure  white  with 
scarlet  and  gilt  straps,  braid,  &c.,  corresponding  with  the 
tarboosh,  then  I  think  you  would  agree  with  me  that  there 


100  LIFE   AND    LETTERS    OF 

is  a  charm  about  it  which  you  never  saw  before.  The  trees 
are  not  out  yet,  in  fact  they  give  no  evidence  of  budding, 
and  perhaps  will  not  for  some  weeks.  But  in  summer  the 
square  is  said  to  be  beautiful.  So  many  birds  sing  in  the 
trees  in  the  early  morning,  and  the  poor  old  sleepy  Arabs 
luxuriate  in  the  shade,  and  probably  never  know  any  other 
home.  WJien  we  have  been  out  late  in  the  evening  Ave  see 
many  of  them  sleeping,  apparently  "  taking  their  rest "  very 
comfortably  on  the  pavements  around  the  square,  sometimes 
sheltered  by  boxes  and  doorways,  and  sometimes  not  at  all. 
There  are  many  "  flower  sellers  "  all  round  there,  and  I 
think  many  of  them  never  leave.  We  have  frequently 
seen  them  making  up  their  bouquets  at  eleven  o'clock  at 
night.  At  one  extremity  of  the  square  there  is  a  very  large 
hoad  of  water,  like  the  fountains  we  admired  so  much  in 
Italy.  It  is  an  immense  basin,  where  many  of  the  natives 
make  their  ablutions,  and  where  the  "  water  carriers  "  get 
their  "  bottles  "  filled.  These,  by  the  way,  are  a  strictly 
oriental  institution.  Their  bottles,  you  know,  are  each  an 
entire  goat  skin,  and  they  go  round  with  that  amount  of 
Avater,  in  those  ungainly  proportions,  thrown  over  their 
shoulders,  sprinkling  the  square  and  the  streets  out  of  the 
mouth  of  the  bottle,  alias  the  neck  of  the  animal,  which 
has  this  advantage  over  civilized  bottles  in  that  it  is  very 
flexible,  and  allows  the  carrier  to  jet  it  in  all  directions,  for 
instance,  all  over  you,  if  you  don't  get  out  of  his  way. 

We  live  on  the  third  floor  here,  and  the  "  blue  Mediter- 
ranean "  rolls  almost  under  my  window.  I  often  stand 
there,  count  the  sails,  watch  the  changing  hues  and  flying 
"  white  caps,"  and  sympathize  to  the  full  extent  of  my 
"  capacity  "  with  those  wdio  "  go  doAvn  to  the  sea  in  ships," 
and  we  almost  always  know  some  missionary  or  traveler,  in 
whom  we  feel  interested,  who  is  either  on  his  way  to  Naples 


MRS.    MARY    GALLOWAY    GIFFEN.  lOl 

or  to  Beruit.  There  have  been  a  great  numy  "  rougli 
seas"  on  the  Mediterranean  since  we  came.  At  night  the 
wind  howls  and  moans,  and  the  waves  dash  on  the  shore 
with  an  ever  varying  but  ceaseless  dirge.  The  brightest  of 
"silver  moons"  shines  down  on  it  all,  glittering  and  shim- 
mering in  a  diamond  shower  on  every  Avave.  In  the  morn- 
ing the  glories  of  the  night  have  vanished,  and  I  look  out 
on  a  restless  scene.  There  is  moaning  and  sobbing  in  the 
dawning  light,  as  if  an  uneasy  conscience  Avere  goading  the 
genius  of  the  sea,  till  a  flood  of  golden  sunlight  streams 
over  "  the  heaving  billoAvs  "  and  soothes  the  ruffled  spirit. 
I  tell  myself  sometimes,  when  I  am  at  my  window,  that  1 
never  had  such  an  opportunity  for  cultivating  a  poetic 
temperament  in  my  life,  but  I  sadly  fear  it  is  all  wasted  on 
me.     When  Byron  wrote, 

"There  is  society  where  none  intrudes  by  the  deep  sea,  and  music 
in  its  roar," 

he  had  never  crossed  the  Atlantic  in  February.  In  fact"! 
think  it  often  occurs  that  close  acquaintance  is  fatal  to 
sentiment  and  romance.  At  least  I  frequently  look  out  on 
this  famous  sea  and  think  how  much  of  both  commodities 
have  been  wasted  on  "  the  waves,"  and  how  much  "  penny- 
a-line  "  poetry  has  been  vmnvj'adured  "  to  the  tune  "  of  the 
"  sea-beat  shore." 


102  LIFE   AND  LETTERS  OP 

CHAPTER   VIII. 

EAMLE — SANITARIUM — FOURTH    OF   JULY    EXCURSION. 

"  Perhaps  you  know  that  we  are  now  in  new  quarters. 

Ramie  is  one  of  the  suburbs  of  Alexandria.  It  is  five 
miles  out,  but  is  connected  by  rail  with  the  city,  a  train 
coming  out  at  the  hours  and  returning  at  the  half  hours. 
Almost  all  the  foreign  business  men  of  prominence,  espe- 
cially the  English,  have  their  summer  residences  out  here  ; 
in  fact  very  many  of  them  live  here  permanently,  and 
avail  themselves  of  rail  connection  to  attend  their  places  of 
business.  I  have  no  idea  of  the  size  of  the  place,  as  it  is 
very  much  scattered,  but  it  seems  quite  extended  when  we 
look  over  it  from  the  roofs  of  our  houses. 

The  Mission  premises  consist  of  four  houses  containing 
six  or  seven  rooms  each,  and  a  chapel,  which  was  built 
principally  for  the  use  of  the  Theological  students  before 
the  Seminarv  was  removed  to  Osiout.  These  buildings 
occupy  two  sides  of  a  parallelogram  of  perhaps  150  x  100 
feet.  Down  the  middle  of  the  figure,  fronting  each  row  of 
buildings,  is  a  pretty  flower  garden,  planted  with  acacia 
trees,  young  palms  and  any  quantity  of  pretty  geraniums, 
&c.  Some  of  the  geraniums  at  the  sides  of  the  house  are 
six  feet  high.  The  "  single  fish "  seems  to  grow  more 
luxuriantly  than  any  other  variety.  You  can't  imagine 
what  a  pleasure  this  little  garden  is  to  us,  especially  as 
most  of  us  have  always  been  accustomed  to  more  or  less  of 
country  life.  If  you  go  outside  "  to  walk  "  you  have  to  go 
so  far  to  get  out  of  the  sand  that  you  come  back  wearied 
instead  of  refreshed.  Sometimes  we  wade  through  the 
sand  in  the  streets  and  go  to  the  palm  and  fig  groves,  of 
which  there  are  a  great  many,  and  sometimes  we  go  down 


MRS.   MARY  GALLOWAY  GlfFEN,  103 

to  the  sea,  sit  on  the  beach  and  watch  the  dash  of  the 
waves.  The  walk  there  and  back  is  pleasant,  but  I  do  not 
like  to  listen  to  "old  ocean's  roar."  First  I  think  of  all 
from  which  it  separates  me,  of  our  first  day  "  at  sea," 
of  all  the  sorroAvful  thoughts  which  seem  to  me  inseparable 
constituents  of  that  day.  Then  my  mind  runs  on  a  little 
farther,  and  I  imagine  I  am  down  in  the  "  lower  re- 
gions "  of  the  old  Chiba  again.  I  hear  a  wave  dash  over 
the  decks  and  go  thumping  against  the  wall  of  the  berth 
on  one  side,  while  the  next  moment  I  seize  hold  of  some- 
thing to  keep  from  tumbling  out  on  the  other.  In  plain 
terms,  I  would  not  have  far  to  go  to  be  sea-sick  again,  as  a 
matter  of  fact  and  not  of  imagination,  for  I  always  find 
that  I  have  been  watching  the  waves  coming  and  going 
until  the  beach  on  which  I  am  sitting  seems  to  be  moving 
just  like  the  shij^  did.  Sometimes  we  go  up  on  the  "  house- 
tops" and  promenade  up  there.  I  enjoy  that  very  nuich, 
for  the  view  is  really  one  of  the  prettiest  I  ever  saw.  In 
every  direction  are  handsome  buildings,  some  of  them  pal- 
aces, surrounded  with  palm  groves  and  lovely  flower  gar- 
dens, in  every  one  of  which,  when  you  are  near  enough, 
you  may  listen  to  the  murmur  of  a  fountain  or  the  gentle 
flow  of  a  little  stream  brought  up  by  a  windmill  for  the 
life  of  the  flowers.  Just  across  the  street  is  Villa  Julia, 
the  palace  to  which  the  Maharajah  Duleep  Singh  took 
his  bride  when  he  married  her  from  the  Mission  schools 
in  Cairo.  Opposite  my  window,  where  I  am  now  writing, 
there  is  a  pretty  fountain  always  flowing  in  the  Villa  gar- 
den, and  the  rill-like  murmur  loses  me  many  a  moment. 
It  brings  up  the  recollection  of  so  many  cool  "  branches  " 
in  the  woods  winding  around  great  old  hillsides  at  a  dear 
old  home,  where  many  a  happy  day  has  been  spent  on 
the  grassy  banks,  dabbling  with  idle  fingers  in  the  flow- 
ing stream.  E 


104  LIFE  AND   LETTEES  OP 

I  think  any  American  would  be  surprised  at  the  sight  if 
he  could  go  with  us  on  the  house  this  evening  and  count 
the  groves  and  gardens.  One  is  so  accustomed  to  think- 
ing of  there  being  no  vegetation  here,  that  it  seems  very 
wonderful  to  see  so  much  floral  luxuriance.  Water  seems 
to  be  the  only  requisite  for  growth.  We  are  just  in  the 
Desert,  and  yet  where  there  is  sufficient  irrigation  every- 
thinsr  erows  as  if  in  the  richest  soil.  It  does  not  "  bake," 
as  we  say  at  home.  Everything  is  planted  in  rows,  or 
rather  in  little  channels,  trees,  as  well  as  flowers,  and  thus 
when  the  pipes  are  opened  a  nice  little  stream  flows  around 
everything.  We  will  have  no  more  rain  this  season,  and 
consequently  we  never  have  to  look  out  in  the  morning  to 
see  if  it  is  clear  or  cloudy, 

American  papers  have  had  so  much  to  say  recently 
about  Centennials  that  it  has  excited  quite  a  little  burst  of 
patriotism  among  those  of  your  countrymen  who  are  spend- 
ing the  summer  in  Ramie.  Being  entirely  out  "  of 
range"  of  Centennials,  we  have  fallen  upon  "  the  next 
best"  thing  which  is  to  celebrate  thefo%irth  of  July.  As  it 
falls  on  Sabbath,  we  are  compelled,  of  course,  to  take 
either  the  fifth  or  the  third,  and  as  the  latter  is  the  leisure 
day  of  six  or  seven  of  us,  "  we,  a  handful  of  Americans," 
Avent  out  and  took  our  tea  in  a  palm  grove  this  evening. 

At  three  o'clock  we  went  down  to  the  station,  met  the 
friends  from  town  and  bravely  took  our  way  through  the 
heat,  dust  and  sand  to  the  grove.  We  found  plenty  of 
shade  and  a  delightfully  cool  breeze  from  the  sea,  but  no 
"green  carpet"  of  grass — nothing  but  sand  and  palms, 
and  after  a  time  some  camels — the  three  distinctive 
features  of  Egypt,  There  was  plenty  of  water,  however, 
and  the  palms  far  exceeded  the  number  which  so  gladdened 
the  hearts  of  the  weary  Israelites  at  Elim.     I  think  I 


MRS.    MARY   GALLOWAY   OIFFEN.  105 

would  not  exaggerate  the  matter  if"  I  should  say  there 
were  a  thousand.  I  counted  fifteen  in  one  grouj^,  ciyhlecn 
in  another,  and  hceniy-one  in  a  third,  all  having  sprung 
from  one  root.  Some  of  them  were  quite  tall  and  very 
graceful,  hut  very  few  of  them  were  fruit-bearing.  They 
Avere  "  in  bloom  "  about  six  weeks  ago,  and  now  the  young 
dates  are  about  as  large  as  grapes. 

AVe  selected  little  mounds  in  the  sand,  spread  down  our 
shawls,  took  our  seats  and  congratulated  each  other  on  "  the 
fourth,"  notwithstanding  it  Avas  only  the  third.  Mr.  Ewing 
had  brought  out  a  pocket  full  of  letters  and  papers,  and  while 
the  rest  of  us  were  resting  and  enjoying  the  breeze,  he  read 
to  us ;  Mr.  N.  constructed  a  pyramid  of  sand,  somebody 
found  a  palm  branch  and  Miss  D.  planted  it  in  the  pyra- 
mid and  unfurled  the  "  red,  white  and  blue  "  in  the  shape 
of  a  red  ribbon,  a  white  handkerchief  and  a  blue  vail. 
Meantime  the  table-cloth  was  spread  on  the  sand,  and  sand- 
wiches, musk-melons,  pies,  grapes,  &c.,  arranged  upon  it. 
Our  places  were  assigned  us,  and  we  very  gracefully  took 
our  seats  upon  the  sand.  A  blessing  was  asked  and  we 
proceeded  "  to  celebrate  the  fourth  "  in  a  very  practical 
manner.  It  was  very  enjoyable,  indeed,  and  I  wished  many 
times  that  some  of  you  could  have  looked  on  the  little 
scene — a  dozen  missionaries  taking  a  nice,  quiet  tea  on  the 
white  sands  of  Egypt,  all  cheerful  and  happy,  forgetting 
for  the  time  the  7,000  miles  between  them  and  those  with 
whom  they  had  last  celebrated  the  American  anniver- 
sary. 

Just  beside  us  stood  a  marble  monument,  about  three 
feet  high,  having  the  top  carved  in  the  shape  of  an  im- 
mense turban.  The  gentlemen  all  pronounced  it  the  grave 
of  a  Sheik.  There  is  a  belief  among  Mohammedans  that 
a  Sheik  always  indicates  the  exact  spot  on  which  he  wishes 


106  LIFE   AND    LETTERS   OF 

to  be  buried,  by  rendering  it  impossible  for  the  pall-bear- 
ers to  proceed  further  with  the  corpse.  The  body  is  pre- 
pared for  burial,  and  the  bearers  and  procession  start  out 
in  the  direction  indicated  by  the  departed  spirit.  When 
the  proper  place  has  been  reached,  the  bearers  find  them- 
selves compelled  to  stop,  and  there — no  matter  where  it  is 
— the  grave  is  dug  and  the  monument  erected.  I  have  an 
impression  that  it  would  not  be  difficult  to  tell  how  this  Sheik 
indicated  his  wish  to  take  his  long  dreamless  sleep,  "  under 
the  shadow  of  the  palms."  If  it  was  as  fatiguing  to  the 
bearers  of  his  corpse  to  wade  through  the  sand  as  it  was  to 
us,  or  rather  if  the  sand  was  as  deep  then  as  it  is  now,  we 
suspect  the  shade  of  the  Sheik  was  not  very  carefully  con- 
sulted. 

After  tea  the  gentlemen  amused  themselves  playing  ball 
for  a  little  while,  and  others  of  us  took  a  promenade 
through  the  grove.  At  this  stage  of  the  performance  we 
discovered  a  tin  can  fastened  to  the  top  of  a  tall  palm  for 
the  purpose  of  getting  'chomr — Avine — from  the  tree. 
Most  of  us  had  never  seen  it,  and  so  we  got  a  native  to  go 
up  and  bring  the  can  down.  The  liquid  was  the  color  of 
clear  water  with  a  small  quantity  of  milk  added,  and  tasted 
quite  pleasant,  something  like  a  mild  kind  of  beer.  It 
seemed  a  queer  idea  to  "  tap"  a  tree  at  the  top,  but  so  it 
was.  In  India  this  'chomr  is  intoxicating  but  does  not 
kill  the  tree.  This  one,  however,  had  lost  the  whole  of  its 
feathery  tuft. 

The  train  was  coming  iii  from  Aboukir  just  as  we  came 
into  Ramie,  and  I  made  a  mental  note  of  it  for  the  sake  of 
the  little  boys  at  home  who  have  declaimed  "  The  boy 
stood  on  the  burning  deck."  Just  twelve  miles  from  our 
fourth  of  July  tea  driiiking  poo}'  little  Casablanca  stooc] 
aild  cried ; 


MRS.    MARY   GALLOWAY    GIFFEN.  107 

"8ay,  fatlier,  iiiiist  I  stay? 

While  o'er  liini  fast  tlirotigli  sail  and  siirdud, 

The  wreatliing  fires  made  way." 

The  sun  was  just  setting  as  we  came  through  the  town 
and  passing  one  of  the  railway  stations,  we  saw  a  moslem 
"  praying  towards  Mecca."  He  was  one  of  the  station 
guards,  and  was  performing  his  devotions  right  beside  the 
street.  He  knelt  first  for  a  moment  then  rose  to  his  full 
height  for  about  the  same  time,  and  then  prostrated  him- 
self so  as  to  touch  the  ground  with  his  forehead.  This  I 
think  he  did  three  times,  looking  very  earnest  and  solemn 
throughout.  It  is  of  course  as  false  a  fixith  as  that  which 
so  disgusted  me  in  Rome,  but  it  did  not  make  the  same  im- 
pression. As  we  passed  on  the  thought  came  into  my 
mind  that  it  would  be  a  rich  reward  for  our  hard  work 
over  Arabic,  our  separation  from  home  and  country,  if  in 
the  last  great  day  one  such  moslem  should  make  a  star  in 
our  "  crown  of  rejoicing." 


CHAPTER  IX. 

ARABIC   LANGUAGE. 


^^  Dear  Doctor: — I  think  I  promised  some  time  ago  to  tell 
you  something  about  this  wonderful  old  Arabic  language, 
but  it  is  so  very  difticult  to  find  out  much  about  it  that  I 
am  afraid  you  will  have  to  be  content  with  meagre  ideas 
for  a  long  while,  unless  you  get  information  from  some  one 
who  is  better  acquainted  with  it  than  I  am^     It  is  not 


108  LIFE   AND    LETTERS   OF 

studied  as  modern  languages  are,  and  though  I  think 
this  circumstance  greatly  increases  the  difficulty  of  acquir- 
ing it,  yet  it  is  not  by  any  means  the  difficulty.  Mission- 
aries say  the  pronunciation  is  the  backbone  of  Arabic,  and 
that  this  must  be  broken,  if  it  is  ever  done,  in  the  first  six 
months.  So,  for  that  length  of  time,  it  is  considered  of 
comparatively  little  importance  to  give  much  attention  to 
the  acquisition  of  words,  idioms  or  construction.  You  be- 
gin, of  course,  with  the  alphabet,  but  you  stay  there  a  long 
time  after  the  eye  is  able  to  recognize  each  character,  for 
there  is  at  least  five  of  them  for  which  European  throats 
have  no  organ  at  all.  There  are  twenty-eight  letters,  Alif, 
Ba,  Ta,  Tha,  Gcem,  'Ha,  Kha,  Dal,  Thai,  Ra,  Zay,  Seen, 
Sheen,  S'sad,  'Dad,  'Ta,  Za,  Am,  Ghine,  Fa,  'Kaf,  Kaf, 
Lam,  Meem,  Noon,  Woxo,  Ha  and  Ya.  You  see  several  of 
them  go  in  pairs,  as  in  the  Hebrew,  and  the  distinctions 
are  very  hard  to  make.  A  failure  between  the  'Dal  and 
the  'Dad,  the  Seen  and  the  Sad,  the  Ta  and  the  '  Ta,  often 
makes  terrible  havoc  with  the  meaning  of  a  sentence.  The 
^KaJ  is  taken  from  the  caw  of  the  raven,  the  Ghine  from  the 
growl  of  the  camel.  These  two  with  the  'Ha,  Kha  and  the 
Ain  are  very  difficult.  The  'Ha  is  a  terrible  deep  aspirate, 
and  must  be  made  from  the  chest.  The  eflTort  to  pronounce 
these  five,  and  also  to  trill  the  Ra,  is  very  fatiguing  and 
not  less  discouraging.  You  are  utterly  unable  to  make  any 
approximation  to  the  sounds  the  teacher  gives  you,  and  as 
far  as  you  can  judge  yourself  you  see  no  pi'ospect  that  you 
ever  will  come  any  nearer  to  them.  If  your  nuisical 
"  ear  "  is  pitre  and  acute  you  will  get  them  "  by  and  by" — 
as  our  teacher  says,  "  Mallish  !  never  mind,  it  will  come," 
but  the  progressive  experience  of  most  Arabic  students  is 
pretty  severe.  Not  many  of  them  ever  acquire  it  without 
having  been  attacked  with  fits  of  despair  more   or   less 


MRS.   MARY  GALLOWAY  GIFFEN.  109 

severe,  about  the  only  cure  for  which  is  the  recollection 
that  "  what  has  been  done  may  be  done  again."  So  you 
get  up  a  fresh  stock  of  courage,  and  in  two  or  three  lessons 
you  get  to  spelling.  Here  you  encounter  fresh  obstacles  in 
combining  the  letters  and  the  vowels,  which,  by  the  way, 
correspond  to  our  short  a,  oo  and  e,  and  are  not  written 
except  where  it  is  necessary  to  show  the  construction.  Af- 
ter one  or  two  months'  of  drilling  in  these  combinations 
the  Testament  is  taken  up  as  a  reading  book,  the  English 
translation  being  your  dictionary.  It  requires  a  long  time 
to  become  sufficiently  familiar  with  the  characters  to  read 
fluently,  even  when  you  can  give  the  sounds.  The  letters 
are  small,  and  they  vary  with  the  combination.  If  you 
read  "  with  points  "  that  greatly  increases  the  indistinct- 
ness of  the  text,  and  if  you  read  "  Avithout  points  "  you 
have  them  to  supply,  perhaps  without  kuoAving  for  a  long- 
time what  to  supply.  Our  teacher  had  us  read  John's 
Gospel  first  "  with  points "  exclusively.  Now  he  has  us 
read  a  chapter  that  way  first,  and  then  requires  us  to  take 
the  unpointed  book  and  supply  for  ourselves.  We  have 
also  commenced  the  grammar,  and  although  there  are  said 
to  be  thirteen  conjugations,  yet  I  think  the  verb  is  perhaps 
not  more  difficult  than  in  other  languages,  possibly  it  is  not 
so  much  so,  as  there  is  really  but  one  principal  conjugation. 
The  others  are  derived  for  the  most  part  by  rule,  and  are 
less  complicated  than  they  at  first  appear.  There  is  but 
one  article — al  or  el — which  is  definite  and  can  be  prefixed 
to  either  the  singular,  dual  or  plural.  The  adjective  gener- 
ally follows  the  noun,  and  the  noun  the  verb.  There  are 
three  cases,  the  nominative,  genitive  and  accusative ;  und 
three  tenses,  the  past,  present  and  future,  the  two  latter  be- 
ing just  the  same.  The  jiast,  in  the  third  person  mascu- 
line, is  the  root,  and  is  either  "  triliteral "  or  "  quadrilit- 
eral." 


110  LIFE  AND   LETTERS  OF 

Arabic  is  not  what  you  would  call  a  musical  language, 
but  it  was  not  at  all  disagreeable  to  me  at  first  as  it  is  to 
some  persons.  It  is  so  entirely  different  from  anything  one 
ever  heard  before  that  it  is  not  easy  to  realize  that  it  is  lan- 
guage. The  words  are  so  run  together,  when  correctly 
spoken,  that  it  is  difficult  to  tell  where  one  ends  and  another 
begins.  I  have  heard  a  good  many  missionaries  from  other 
countries  say  that,  as  compared  with  other  languages,  it  im- 
pressed them  as  strong,  substantial  and  energetic.  Dr.  El- 
lenwood,  who  stopped  in  Alexandria  on  his  Avay  around  the 
Presbyterian  world  of  missions,  gave  it  decidedly  the  pref- 
erence over  every  language  with  which  he  had  come -in 
contact.  There  Avas  a  force  and  dignity  in  it,  he  said, 
which  he  could  find  in  no  other. 

Those  who  are  familiar  with  it  affirm  that  it  is  emi)hati- 
cally  the  language  of  the  world  to  scold  in.  To  uninitiated 
ears  it  is  an  alarming  thing  to  hear  two  old  Arab  Avomen 
berating  each  other  in  the  street.  You  think  they  are  upon 
the  very  point  of  tearing  each  other's  eyes  out,  and  you 
wonder  if  nobody  will  interfere  to  prevent  an  inevitable 
calamity,  when  they  shrug  their  shoulders  and  walk  off  as 
(piietly  as  if  they  had  only  said,  "  How  are  you  ? "  To 
hear  a  native  woman  read  is  a  most  uncomfortable  experi- 
ence, until  you  have  worked  long  enough  at  those  hard  let- 
ters yourself  to  envy  her  pronunciation.  She  reads  as  if 
she  meant  to  see  whether  or  not  she  could  split  her  throat. 
She  reads  in  that  way  naturally,  and  if  a  foreigner  gets  the 
pronunciation  he  must  do  so  too.  Our  teacher  says  "  read 
loud  "  and  then  your  ear  will  become  able  to  detect  sounds, 
and  shades  of  sound  ;  and  until  one  can  do  that  it  is  impos- 
sible to  imitate  them.  At  first  you  feel  as  if  you  only 
heard  a  noise,  not  an  articulate  sound.  Consequently  in 
estimating  one's  probable  ability  to  acquire  Arabic  it  is 


MRS.    MARY   GALLOWAY   GIFFEN.  Ill 

not  sufficienl  that  there  ho  what  is  commonly  known  as  "  a 
taste  for  languages."  That  is  all  very  well,  but  there  must 
be  the  pure,  quick  ear  besides.  One  Avho  is  not  sensitive 
to  a  discord  in  music  will,  without  doubt,  encounter  in- 
creased difficulties  in  Arabic. 

In  preaching  the  minister  has  to  judge  from  the  appear- 
ance or  character  of  his  audience  whether  he  is  to  use 
"  high  "  or  "  low  "  Arabic.  If  he'  is  preaching  to  tolerably 
educated  men  it  viay  be  high,  but  when  he  turns  to  the 
women  he  must  come  down  pretty  low\  It  is  a  singular 
fact,  too,  that  natives  will  readily  excuse  faulty  construc- 
tion, but  they  never  excuse  incorrect  pronunciation.  But 
our  missionary  friends  tell  us  our  greatest  trial  is  over,  that 
the  organs  for  the  difficult  letters  are  at  least  partially 
formed  and  our  ear  becoming  a  little  less  obtuse,  so  that 
we  can  begin  to  perceive  differences  in  sounds.  It  will  be 
matter  of  great  rejoicing  to  us  if  we  can  be  sure  at  the  end 
of  six  months  that  we  have  all  the  letters. 

There  seems,  too,  to  be  an  almost  endless  number  of 
grades  in  Arabic  scholarship,  beginning  with  those  who 
speak  and  read  it  nicely  without  knowing  anything  of  the 
principles  of  construction,  up  to  Dr.  Van  Dyke,  the  great 
master  of  Arabic  in  the  East.  But  before  you  understand 
the  reason,  it  is  rather  discouraging  when  you  inquire  how 
many  years  it  will  require  to  make  you  a  scholar  in  the 
language,  to  get  the  lofty  answer — a  life  time.  The  Sheiks 
in  the  Mosques  are  the  Arabic  critics;  and  Moallim  Abd 
'el  Noor  says  "  they  spend  forty  years  over  one  little  ques- 
tion and  then  cannot  tell  whether  it  ought  to  be  a  fatha  a 
a  domma  or  akasra,  an  a  an  o  or  an  e. 

The  last  time  I  saw  Mr.  Strang  he  inquired  if  I  could 
not  tell  my  brother  enough  about  the  "  beauties  "  of  Arabic 
to  induce  him  to  come  out  and  try  it.     He  went  on  com- 


112  LIFE   AND    LETTERS   OF 

mentiug  on  the  obliquities  of  the  grammar,  the  origin  of 
the  letters,  the  Ghine  being  taken  from  the  growl  of  the 
camel,  the  Ain  from  the  bleat  of  the  goat,  the  'ITa  from 
the  hiss  of  the  serpent,  &c.,  and  then  suddenly  changing 
his  tone  he  added  "  O,  its  the  language  of  the  Angels,  of 
course."  A  member  of  our  class  Avas  sitting  by  and  in- 
quired if  he  meant  the  fallen  Angels. 

Until  recently  we  have  had  the  greatest  difficulty  in  the 
way  of  an  Arabic  dictionary.  We  had  little  to  rely  upon 
except  a  Latin  and  Arabic  dictionary,  but  this  summer  we 
have  been  studying  French  a  little  and  have  got  an  excel- 
lent French  and  Arabic  dictionary  which  has  been  invalu- 
able. 

You  can't  guess  how  nearly  we  sometimes  come  to  envy- 
infj  our  good  friends  in  Mexico  their  nice  civilized  language, 
particularly  with  reference  to  its  written  form.  If  we  only 
had  Roman  characters  to  deal  with !  But  we  must  first 
learn  the  names  of  the  strange  letters,  then  learn  that  al- 
most all  of  them  have  three  or  more  different  forms  ac- 
cording to  their  position  in  the  berjinning,  middle,  or  end  of 
a  woitl ;  then  be  set  to  write  them  all  with  a  reed  pen  on  a 
piece  of  jyaper  held  in  your  hand  and  going  from  right  to 
left — which  is  very  difficult  to  one  at  all  afflicted  with 
nerves.  You  are  told  that  the  written  hand  is  just  like 
print,  and  you  go  to  work  greatly  encouraged.  But  after  a 
little  you  notice  that  you  cannot  read  a  word  of  ordinary  let- 
ters, shop  signs,  advertisements,  telegrams,  receipts,  &c., 
and  when  you  ask  the  reason  it  is,  "  0  that's  a  very  differ- 
ent thing.  That's  the  business  hand."  Then  we  ask  why 
didn't  you  give  us  copies  in  that  hand,  "  O  foreigners  can 
never  learn  that  hand.  That  is  our  pride  to  be  able  to 
write  that  way."  And  I  think  it  is  the  most  intricate  thing 
I  ever  knew.    Letters  are  made  above  and  below  each 


i 


MRS.    MARY   GALLOWAY   GIPFEN.  113 

other,  around  and  within  each  other  and  so  curved  and 
joined  that  it  is  ini})ossible  to  say  where  one  ends  and  an- 
other begins.  All  business  must  be  done  in  this  hand  and 
even  our  college  boys  sometimes  have  difficulty  to  read  it. 
Very  few  foreigners  ever  get  all  the  sounds  under  a  year  of 
hard  work  and  then  there  remains  a  great  difficulty  in 
making  them  in  their  various  cond^inations  and  very,  very 
fetv  ever  learn  to  write  Arabic  easily  and  acceptably.  Thus 
you  see  there  are  three  great  difficulties  in  the  language — 
to  read,  write  and  speak  it." 

In  a  private  letter  written  at  this  time  I\Irs.  Gitfen  says  of 
this  language,  "  It  is  a  very  steep  and  high  mountain,  and 
very  few  foreigners  ever  succeed  in  reaching  the  top.  It  is 
the  work  of  a  lifetime  to  become  a  scholar  in  this  language. 
Although  it  is  so  terrible  a  language  I  intend  to  get  it  with 
the  best  of  the  men."  The  strenuous  effin-ts  made  by  her 
in  this  direction  did  not  pass  unrewarded. 

Pr.  Hogg,  who  was  for  several  months  her  instructor  in 
this  language,  and  for  four  years  her  associate  in  mission 
labor  at  the  same  station,  writes  :  "  Her  knowledge  of 
Arabic  was  accurate  and  extensive.  When  she  joined  the 
mission  at  Asyoot,  a  little  over  two  years  after  her  arrival, 
she  had  already  made  such  progress  in  the  knowledge  and 
practical  use  of  the  Arabic  vernacular,  that  she  was  able 
at  once  to  take  charge  of  the  advanced  class  in  the  female 
boarding  school.  All  these  exercises  were  in  Arabic.  .  To 
be  able  to  teach  such  branches  as  were  taught  this  class  in 
an  interesting  and  effective  manner  implies  a  knowledge  of 
the  vernacular  both  accurate  and  e5itensive." 

"  Her  2yyonunc'iation  was  good.  (This  is  rightly  termed 
the  backbone  of  this  monstrous  lano-uaue. — Ed.)  It  is  a 
happy  day  for  the  whole  mission  when  the  latest  arrival 
has  learned  to  pronounce  his  letters  correctly.     Months 


114  LIFE   AND   LETTERS   OF 

have  to  pass  before  this  report  can  be  safely  made.  In 
many  cases  years  have  passed  before  the  training  has  been 
snfficieut  to  guarantee  that  the  newly-acquired  vocables 
shall  be  pronounced  in  all  kinds  of  combinations  with  ease 
and  accuracy.  Need  I  add  that  in  the  majority  of  cases 
this  longed-for  consummation  is  in  fact  never  attained." 

"  Your  sister  did  attain  it — or  at  least  something  very 
near  it,  but  not  without  a  protracted  effort  in  the  case  of 
some  of  the  letters.  I  have  seen  her  more  than  once  inter- 
rupt the  exposition  of  a  difficult  point  in  Arabic  grammar 
to  ask  or  suggest  the  connection  of  the  point  under  discus- 
sion with  something  that  had  previously  been  explained, 
or  that  had  arrested  her  attention  in  her  private  reading, 
thus  showing  that  her  active  mind  had  apprehended  at  a 
glance  what  to  others  required  to  be  explained  in  detail." 


CHAPTER  X. 

CAIRO,   AND   ITS   ENVIRONS. 

"  You  Avill  see  from  the  date  of  my  letter  that  I  am  in  new 
quarters  again.  There  were  no  native  influences  around 
us  in  Ramie,  and  consequently  we  made  slow  progress  in 
acquiring  colloquial  Arabic.  Occasionally  a  native  from 
Alexandria  would  make  us  a  call  and  mortify  us  with  all 
sorts  of  questions  which  we  could  not  comprehend,  and  we 
naturally  felt  anxious  to  go  where  there  would  be  increased 
facilities  for  acquiring  the  ability  to  make  ourselves  under- 
stood.    Scarcely  any  amount  of  "  book  Arabic "   would 


MRS.   MARY   GALLOWAY   GIFFEN.  115 

enable  one  to  do  that,  still  the  latter  must  be  learned  be- 
fore there  can  be  any  degree  of  usefulness  in  teaching. 

Dr.  Lansing  remained  here  all  summer,  except  a  few 
days,  doing  all  the  usual  mission  work,  and  also  superin- 
tending very  closely  the  work  of  the  new  buildings.  Per- 
haps you  know  that  some  years  ago  the  Viceroy  reigning 
at  that  time,  Saeed  Pasha,  presented  to  the  mission  a  large 
brick  building,  together  with  the  lot  on  which  it  stood. 
But  the  present  Viceroy,  for  purposes  of  public  improve- 
ment, desired  to  have  the  grounds  and  oftered  to  give  in 
exchange  thirty-five  thousand  dollars  and  another  site  for 
building  in  the  very  best  quarters  of  the  city.  This  was 
of  course  accepted  and  this  spring  the  new  building  was. 
begun.  It  is  to  consist,  if  ever  completed,  of  a  church, 
dwellings  for  two  families,  and  rooms  and  halls  for  the 
boys'  day  school  and  girls'  boarding  school.  It  is  hoped 
that  the  Chapel,  which  is  designed  for  the  large  school  hall, 
may  be  open  for  preaching  in  five  or  six  months  ;  but 
building  here  is  a  much  more  formidable  undertaking  than 
in  America.  In  this  city,  as  well  as  in  Alexandria,  much 
of  the  surface  is  old  ruins  or  the  debris  of  ages,  which  is 
entirely  insufticient  to  sustain  the  weight  of  a  large  stone 
building.  All  this  must  be  dug  through,  no  matter  how 
deep,  and  the  foundation  laid  on  solid  ground.  In  this  in- 
stance the  lot  is  situated  on  the  site  of  a  lake.  Ten  or 
fifteen  years  ago  the  whole  of  Esbekeeyah  quarter  was  un- 
der water,  but  after  the  Viceroy's  visit  to  Paris  he  began 
to  remodel  the  city.  The  lake  was  filled  up  by  being  made 
the  receptacle  for  all  the  rubbish  of  Cairo,  and  a  most  beau- 
tiful public  garden  was  laid  out  in  it,  which  is  the  Central 
Park  of  this  part  of  the  world.  The  new  lot  fronts  this 
garden  on  one  side  and  on  another  the  most  popular  hotel 
in  the  city,  so  that  a  more  suitable  location  could  not  have 


116  LIFE   AND   LETTERS   OF 

beeu  desired.  About  a  mouth  ago  the  walls  were  brought 
up  to  the  surface  aud  the  corner  stone  is  now  ready  to  be 
laid.  Solid  ground  was  only  reached  at  the  depth  of  sev- 
enteen feet,  and  at  the  bottom  the  walls  are  nine  feet  and 
ten  inches  thick.  This  will  give  you  some  idea  of  the  cost 
and  labor  of  building  before  any  building  appears. 

Opposite  our  window  are  three  or  four  fellah  huts,  where 
live  several  families  of  fellaheen — that  term  meaning  the 
poorest  class  of  people.  While  we  were  gone  to  the 
Citadel — a  space  of  not  more  than  three  or  four  hours — 
an  old  woman,  perhaps  the  grandmother,  in  one  of  the 
families  died  and  was  buried.  It  was  all  over  when  we  got 
back,  but  Miss  T.  saw  the  burial  preparations.  It  was 
necessary,  according  to  their  ideas,  to  have  her  disposed  of 
before  sunset,  and  the  men  hurried  up  all  the  arrangements 
with  most  indecent  haste,  and  then  started  off  to  the  grave 
almost  in  a  run.  That  is  decidedly  the  style  here.  Wed- 
ding processions  are  ever  so  slow,  but  a  funeral  cortege 
moves  rapidly.  Well,  when  we  came  up  from  tea  the 
''  mourning  "  had  commenced.  It  was  very  unpleasant  to 
hear  ;  wild,  violent  cries  and  doleful  chants,  so  that  we 
shut  the  window  and  put  our  hands  o.ver  our  ears  in  order 
to  sleep.  Next  morning  the  men  went  to  their  work  and 
the  women  took  their  turn.  There  was  only  one  profes- 
sional mourner.  She  had  a  long  scarf  which  she  drew  back 
and  forth  in  a  wild  way  across  the  back  of  her  neck,  the 
top  of  her  head  and  over  her  shoulders,  and  all  of  them 
kept  up  a  continuous  wail — an  indescribable  something  be- 
tween a  moan  and  a  scream.  They  all  sat  round  in  a  circle, 
just  outside  the  door  where  the  death  had  occurred,  and 
carried  on  the  mourning  for  three  or  four  hours.  It  was 
only  "  an  old  woman,"  however.  Had  it  been  a  young 
one,  or  better  still  a  man  or  bov,  instead  of  the  mild  kind 


MRS.    3IARY   GALLOWAY   GIFFEN.  117 

of  mourning  we  heard,  it  would  have  been  most  fearful 
shrieking,  beating  the  breast,  tearing  the  hair,  casting  dust 
on  the  head,  jerking  the  scarf,  writhing  the  body,  &c. ;  not 
for  one  time  only,  but  every  night  and  morning  for  per- 
haps a  dozen  days.  I  understand  now  what  is  meant  when 
it  is  said  in  the  Bible  "  the  Egyptians  mourned  for  Israel 
threescore  and  ten  days."  Then  when  Joseph  carried  the 
body  back  to  Canaan  and  "  made  a  mourning  for  his 
father  seven  days  "  the  Canaanites  said  "  this  is  a  grievous 
mourning  to  the  Egyptians."  We  could  not  sleep  for  the 
mourning  over  one  death,  and  that  one  which  was  consid- 
ered of  small  importance.  Think  what  it  must  have  been 
when  God  smote  "  all  the  first  born  in  the  land  of  Egypt, 
from  the  first  born  of  Pharaoh  who  sat  upon  the  throne  to 
the  first  born  of  the  maid  servant  behind  the  mill ;  "  when 
there  was  "  a  great  cry  throughout  all  Egypt,"  such  as  never 
was  and  never  shall  be  like  it.  One  universal  cry,  one 
long,  horrible  wail,  would  ring  out  on  that  fearful  night. 

By  the  way,  we  were  reading  this  11th  chapter  of  Ex- 
odus with  the  girls  this  evening,  and  instead  of  the  chil- 
dren of  Israel  being  directed  to  "  borrow  "  jewels  of  gold 
and  jewels  of  silver,  the  Arabic  rendering  is  yatlub  " — 
"  speak  to  every  man  that  he  o.sA"."  Life  in  the  East  gives 
a  new  meaning  to  very  many  things  in  the  Bible.  Every 
day  you  hear  or  see  some  fresh  evidence  that  it  Avas  written 
by  Orientals — by  men  who  bear  a  much  closer  resemblance 
in  mind,  manner  and  ajjpearance  to  those  by  whom  Ave  are 
surrounded  than  to  ourselves.  I  got  into  such  a  vein  of 
thought  the  other  day  when  reading  about  the  Abyssinian 
Eunuch  to  whom  Philip  preached  the  Gospel.  My  mind 
instantly  photographed  him  as  he  went  leisurely  along 
through  the  Desert  in  a  way  it  never  did  before. 

Last  Saturday  afternoon  Dr.  L.  insisted  that  I  should  go 


118  LIFE   AND    LETTERS   OF 

out  and  see  some  of  the  historic  ground  around  Cairo.  So 
we  took  a  carriage  and  drove  to  Heliopolis — "  the  City  of 
the  Sun  " — and  the  Site  of  the  Temple  of  the  Sun,  as  well 
as  of  the  Temple  of  Onias.  Heliopolis  is  the  Ou  of  the 
Old  Testament,  and  it  was  in  the  Temple  of  the  Sun  that 
Joseph  found  his  wife.  The  priests  were  at  that  time  a 
highly  privileged  class,  and  Potiphera  was  most  probably 
of  the  highest  rank  in  this  most  famous  of  all  the  old 
Egyptian  Temples. 

We  started  about  four  o'clock  and  w'ere  almost  immedi- 
ately among  the  prickly  pear  and  sycamore  groves  in  the 
suburbs  of  the  city.  These  were  objects  of  a  good  deal  of 
interest  to  us.  The  former,  like  all  species  of  the  cactus 
in  this  country,  grows  to  a  great  size  and  the  fruit  is  very 
much  prized.  The  trees — I  suppose  I  should  call  them 
such — were  ten  or  tAvelve  feet  high,  and  from  twelve  to 
eighteen  inches  in  diameter.  They  have  a  most  ragged, 
scrawny  appearance,  seeming  to  have  made  desperate  ef- 
forts to  grow  in  every  direction,  except  an  upright  one. 
But  the  sycamores  are  a  beautiful  sight.  They  were  cov- 
ered with  fruit,  Avhich  is  of  a  pretty  rose  color  and  of  the 
shape  of  a  fig  almost.  The  tree  is  not  of  a  fine  growth, 
and  has  very  few  small  branches — the  fruit  seeming  to  be 
duch  on  the  large  limbs.  The  latter  are  frequently  near 
the  ground,  and,  in  fact,  the  tree  is  something  like  the 
prickly  pear  in  its  disinclination  to  grow  upwards.  Zac- 
cheus  of  course  Avas  in  all  minds,  and  it  was  not  hard  to 
imagine  him  stepping  easily  up  one  of  those  twisted  spread- 
ing trees  to  see  Jesus  "  passing  by." 

After  passing  the  groves  we  found  ourselves  quite  in  the 
Desert. 

After  driving  perhaps  two  miles  through  the  desert  we 
entered  beautiful  green  plantations.     Lebbech  or  acacia 


MRS.    MARY    GALLOWAY    GIFFEN.  119 

trees  Avere  planted  on  each  side  of  the  road  and  their  great 
arms  met  and  overlapped  each  other  in  a  most  beautiful 
arch,  while  between  them  was  a  thick  hedge  of  lemon  trees. 
In  the  fields  were  orange  and  pomegranate  trees  laden  with 
green  fruit,  palms,  vines  and  mulberries;  tomatoes,  beans, 
radishes,  &c.,  and  a  great  deal  of  corn.  The  ground,  be- 
fore planting,  is  laid  off  into  beds  perhaps  six  or  eight  feet 
square,  around  each  of  Avhich  is  a  channel  for  the  water. 
In  these  beds  the  corn  is  planted  in  rows  about  a  foot 
apart — or  rather  I  should  say  it  is  sotved,  for  the  stalks 
seem  to  stand  just  as  thick  as  is  possible.  Of  course  there 
can  be  but  little  culture,  which  would  not  matter  much  if 
the  ground  were  really  plowed  before  planting.  It  is  not, 
however,  and  the  corn  does  not  grow  more  than  five  or  six 
feet  high.  I  have  an  idea,  however,  that  it  is  of  the  kind 
we  call  "  six  weeks  corn  "  at  home.  Six  years  ago  these 
plantations  were  nothing  but  desert,  pure  white  sand.  Now 
the  soil  has  been  so  enriched  by  the  alluvial  deposit  from 
the  water  of  the  Nile,  with  which  it  is  irrigated,  that  it 
looks  as  black  as  any  land  I  ever  saw.  The  road  or  ave- 
nue on  which  we  were  driving  led  to  the  Khedeewee's  fa- 
vorite palace,  and  perhaps  three  miles  out  we  turned  off 
from  it  into  another,  planted  on  each  side  with  tamarisk 
and  shittim  trees — the  "  shittim  wood  "  of  the  Bible. 

Another  mile  or  two  brought  us  to  the  fsimous  well 
which  tradition  says  sprang  up  in  the  desert  to  quench  the 
thirst  of  the  "  Holy  Family  "  when  they  fled  into  Egypt. 
Our  driver  stopped  under  the  spreading  trees  which  now 
surround  it,  and  pointed  out  what  dragomen  and  many 
travelers  consider  the  most  interesting  feature  of  Heliop- 
olis — the  old  sycamore  tree  under  which  Mary  sat  doAvn 
with  the  infant  Saviour  after  they  had  been  refreshed  from 
the  miraculous  fountain.     It  is  called  the  Virgin's  tree— 


120  LIFE   AND   LETTERS   OF 

tradition  not  admitting  tliat  Josejih  enjoyed  the  comfort  of 
its  shade.  It  is  an  old,  old  tree.  The  trunk  is  perhaps  six 
feet  across,  though  not  more  than  two  the  other  way.  It 
looks  at  first  as  if  several  trees  had  spnyig  up  touching 
each  other,  grown  together  for  five  or  six  feet,  and  then 
separated,  and  yet  they  all  seem  one,  though  two  or  three 
places  you  could  see  through  the  decayed  places  in  the 
trunk.  A  neat  fence  inclosed  it  and  white  jessamine  and 
other  flowers  were  trailing  over  it.  We  asked  the  bow-wab 
who  erected  the  fence.  "  Mohammed  Ali,"  was  the  quick 
reply.  A  native  always  refers  a  great  thing  to  Moham- 
med Ali,  let  it  be  ever  so  improbable.  The  fact  is  that 
travelers  cut  up  the  tree  to  such  an  extent  as  to  threaten 
its  destruction,  and  so  the  owner,  a  Copt,  adopted  this  means 
of  preserving  it.  The  bow-wab  gathered  us  each  a  boquet 
of  roses,  geraniums,  &c.,  and  I  got  him  to  go  up  into  the 
tree  and  get  me  some  leaves  to  press.  The  fence  is  cov- 
ered with  the  names  of  travelers  ambitious  of  letting  it 
be  known  to  those  who  come  after  them  that  they  "  have 
been  there."  One  man,  however,  with  an  unusually  skep- 
tical tendency,  has  written,  "  I  do  not  believe  in  this  tree." 
We  went  back  to  the  carriage,  and  the  first  thing  we 
knew  our  driver  Avas  going  at  a  rapid  rate  towards  Cairo. 
Miss  T.  stopped  him  and  insisted  that  we  wished  to  see  the 
ruins  and  the  great  Obelisk.  "  Ma  feesh  !  ma  feesh!" — 
"  there  is  nothing,  nothing  at  all " — he  persisted,  but  we 
carried  our  point  and  made  him  turn  back.  It  is  the 
month  of  Ramadan  now,  and  all  good  Moslems  taste 
nothing  while  it  lasts  from  half-past  three  in  the  morning 
until  sunset.  This  driver  was  a  "  son  of  the  prophet  " 
and  quite  impatient  for  his  supper,  and  it  was  with  rather 
a  bad  grace  that  he  drove  us  through  the  ruins  of  the 
great  Temple  and  set  us  down  at  the  foot  of  the  Obe- 


MRS.   MARY   GALLOWAY   GIFFEN.  121 

lisk.  The  village  of  Miitareeyah  near  by  is  built  of  ma- 
terial from  the  ruins,  but  nothing  is  now  visible  except  a 
line  of  mounds  indicating  the  dimensions  of  the  Temple, 
which  are  about  4,500  x  3,500  feet.  It  was  in  this  temple, 
from  its  learned  priests,  that  Moses  became  skilled  "  in  all 
the  wisdom  of  the  Egyptians."  Here  Plato  lived  and 
studied  thirteen  years,  and  here  Solon  and  Eudoxus  came 
for  the  same  purpose,  and  here  too  Jeremiah  is  supposed 
to  have  written  his  Lamentations.  On  the  great  altar,  ac- 
cording to  the  Roman  fable,  the  Phenix  came  from  Ara- 
bia and  placed  its  j^redecessor's  bones  in  the  nest  of  si:)ices 
in  which  it  had  died,  and  then  went  back  to  live  out  its 
own  five  hundred  years.  But  "  the  glory  is  departed." 
Only  the  mounds  and  the  Obelisk  remain.  The  latter  is 
sixty-eight  feet  in  height  and  is  between  six  and  seven  feet 
at  the  base.  The  hieroglyphics  are  the  same  on  the  four  sides, 
and  extend  from  base  to  summit.  It  was  erected  by  Osir- 
tasen  2,000  years  B.  C,  the  account  of  which  is  given  in 
the  hieroglyphics.  The  first  figure  at  the  top  is  a  raven. 
The  serpent  occurs  twice,  the  hand,  the  ibis,  other  birds 
and  two  or  three  mathematical  figures.  The  shaft  is  of 
solid  red  granite  and  is  supposed  to  weigh  five  hundred 
tons.  There  are  three  or  four  obelisks  in  Rome  which 
were  taken  from  Egypt  beside  this  one,  the  one  in  front  of 
St.  Peter's  being  of  the  number.  Cleopatra's  Needle  in 
Alexandria  was  also  taken  from  Heliopolis  by  one  of  the 
Csesars  and  set  up  in  front  of  his  palace. 

We  walked  round  the  Obelisk  and  examined  it  as  well 
as  we  could  for  the  crowd  of  young  Arabs  who  swarmed 
round  us  for  "  bucksheesh."  AVe  thought  of  Moses  and 
Joseph  that  they  had  stood  many  times  just  where  we 
were,  and  looked  up  at  the  great  shaft  just  as  Ave  were 
doing.     But  Ikjw  different  would  everything  else  be  !     The 


122  LIFE   AND    LETTERS   OF 

Balm  of  Gilead  once  grew  around  Heliopolis ;  now  cotton 
is  cultivated  under  the  very  shadow  of  the  Obelisk ! 

By  the  way  I  have  not  told  you  anything  about  the 
fiimous  old  fortress,  the  Citadel.  It  is  situated  at  the  foot 
of  the  Mokattam  Hills,  on  an  elevation  quite  as  command- 
ing as  any  of  the  seven  hills  of  Rome,  and  was  built  by 
the  great  Saladin  in  1166.  All  the  stone  used  in  its  con- 
struction was  brought  from  the  smaller  Pyramids  sur- 
rounding the  great  ones,  and,  in  fact,  the  casing  stones  of 
the  second  Pyramid  were  all  removed  for  the  same  pur- 
pose. It  is  an  immense  fortress,  consisting  of  apparently 
endless  barracks,  innumerable  halls  of  immense  size,  into 
which  the  government  offices  open,  of  a  palace  and  of  the 
Grand  Mosque  of  Mohammed  Ali. 

First  we  looked  into  the  immense  printing  department, 
and,  among  other  things,  we  saw  there  an  outline  surface 
map  of  all  Egypt  up  to  the  Second  Cataract.  It  was  on 
what  looked  like  a  very  large  billiard  table,  perhaps  four- 
teen feet  in  length,  and  was  a  perfect  imitation  of  the  sur- 
face of  the  country,  made  in  some  kind  of  plaster.  It  was 
almost  sad  to  look  at  the  great  reaches  of  desert — desert,  al- 
most nothing  but  desert — and  then  think  of  the  millions  who 
must  live  in  the  little  bit  of  green  country.  From  a  front 
balcony  Ave  looked  down  on  the  City  of  the  Caliphs,  glit- 
tering beneath  an  eastern  sun.  It  is  almost  bewildering  to 
look  over  its  wilderness  of  mosques,  minarets,  cupolas  and 
towers  from  the  giddy  height  on  which  we  stood,  for  the 
balcony  hangs  almost  perpendicularly  a  hundred  or  more 
feet  over  the  magnificent  street  which  winds  up  the  hill. 
There  were  crowds  of  people  everywhere,  groups  of  lazy, 
moping  camels,  funeral  processions,  and  marriage  proces- 
sions, too,  moving  through  the  distant  streets.  To  the  right 
was  a  moslem  cemetery,  to  the  South  and  North  the  shin- 


MRS.    MARY   GALLOWAY   GIFFEN.  123 

ing  river,  and  away  in  the  West  were,  I  had  almost  said 
the  everlasting,  Pyramids.  Coming  down  and  going 
through  a  beautiful  garden  full  of  jessamines,  roses,  orange, 
and  lemon  trees,  we  came  into  an  open  space,  where  knots 
of  people  and  soldiers  were  grouped  together  buying  and 
selling,  eating  and  drinking,  around  what  seemed  to  be  a 
well.  We  climbed  up  and  looked  down  into  it.  After 
peering  into  the  darkness  a  long  time  we  could  just  distin- 
guish the  sparkle  of  water  far  below.  We  turned  into  an 
enclosure  and  descending  what  seemed  a  steep  earthen  stair 
winding  around  the  well,  and  having  windows  cut  through 
its  inside  wall  to  admit  a  little  light  from  the  well.  This 
is  in  tAvo  parts.  The  first  is  one  hundred  and  sixty  feet  in 
depth,  but  under  it,  or  rather  to  its  side  a  little,  is  another 
one  hundred  and  thirty  feet  farther  down  in  the  solid  rock. 
This  stairway  on  which  w^e  were  is  for  the  pur})0se  of  tak- 
ing up  the  water  from  the  lower  well,  and  emptying  it  into 
the  one  in  which  we  were  looking.  Then  at  the  top  it  is 
drawn  up  from  this  one  in  the  same  way,  having  made  at 
last  an  ascent  of  two  hundred  and  ninety  feet.  It  is  called 
Joseph's  well,  and  was  dug  by  Saladin  when  he  built  the 
fortress.  The  depth  of  the  well  is  thought  to  be  just  the 
height  of  the  Citadel  grounds  above  the  bed  of  the  river. 
From  the  well  we  proceeded  to  the  Grand  Mosque.  At 
the  entrance  of  the  great  marble  Court  in  front  of  the 
Mosque  we  were  stopped  and  required  to  put  on  large  cloth 
slippers,  to  prevent  our  profane  feet  from  touching  the 
sacred  Turkish  carpets  or  the  consecrated  marble  and  ala- 
baster beneath.  The  building  is  an  immense  square  with  a 
great  domed  roof  and  a  minaret  at  each  of  the  two  front 
corners  at  least  two  hundred  and  fifty  feet  high.  The 
whole  inside  and  out  is  encased  with  alabaster.  There  is 
not  a  picture,  altar,  or  anything  of  the  kind  to  be  seen,  ex- 


124  LIFE   AND   LETTERS   OP 

cept  a  most  gaudy-looking  puljiit,  at  an  elevation  of  per- 
haps fifteen  feet,  Avhicli  is  occupied  once  or  twice  in  the 
year.  Mohammed  All's  tomb  occupies  one  corner,  and  is 
surrounded  by  a  brazen  enclosure  richer  than  anything  we 
saw  in  Westminster.  A  square  monument,  ten  or  twelve 
feet  high,  over  the  vault  is  surrounded  by  the  old  hero's 
turban,  or  tarboosh,  crowning  a  pedestal.  Just  to  the  left 
of  the  Mosque  is  the  open  square  in  which  this  same  old 
desjDot  murdered  the  Mamalukes.  We  were  shown  the 
place  where  one  of  them  sprang  his  horse  over  the  wall  and 
down  into  the  street  below.  There  was  and  is  a  great  pile 
of  rubbish  there,  and  the  leap  is  supposed  not  to  have  been 
more  than  twenty-five  feet.  We  got  up  on  the  w^all,  looked 
away  down  into  the  city,  and  tried  to  imagine  the  poor 
Mamaluke's  desperation  when  he  started  on  that  fearful 
leap  and  the  wild  joy  which  must  have  filled  his  heart 
when  he  found  himself  safe. 

It  is  in  the  Citadel  that  you  get  the  best  impression  of 
the  military  power  of  T^gypt,  the  absolute  authority  of  its 
ruler,  and  his  determination  to  simre  neither  care  nor  ex- 
pense in  strengthening  as  well  as  tightening  his  grasp  on 
his  dominions.  It  gives  one  rather  a  queer  sensation  to  see 
American  officers  walking  round  in  their  uniforms  among 
so  many  Turkish  oflicials. 

The  great  event  of  this  week,  however,  has  been  the  visit 
of  the  Prince  of  Wales.  He  came  last  Saturday,  and  Sab- 
bath night  the  Viceroy  had  a  splendid  opera  prepared  for 
him.  The  expedition,  however,  is  very  much  under  the 
care  of  Sir  Bartle  Frere — a  very  pious  nobleman,  and  be- 
sides the  character  of  the  English  Nation  was  at  stake,  so 
the  Prince  declined  the  ojiera  Sabbath  night  and  went  to  the 
theatre  Monday  night.  Tuesday  Sir  Bartle  came  over  to 
the  new  buildings,  saw  Dr.  L.,  and  came  over  here  to  see 


MRS.    MARY    CALLOWAY   OIFFEN.  125 

Mrs.  L.  and  the  l)();ir(ling  school,  tliougli  he  sent  cards 
merely  to  all  the  other  dignitaries  who  had  called  on  him. 

In  the  afternoon  we  went  out  on  the  street  and  saw  the 
expedition  pass  to  the  station.  The  Prince,  the  Viceroy 
and  Sir  Bartle  were  in  the  first  carriage.  Perhaps  there 
were  a  dozen  other  carriages,  all  the  handsomest  "  ele- 
gances "  with  as  fine  horses  as  I  ever  saw.  Several  of  the 
Viceroy's  sons  with  Consuls  and  other  dignitaries  graced 
the  escort.  There  were  soldiers,  and  pages,  footmen,  and 
runners,  and  every  other  mark  of  respect  for  the  distin- 
guished guest.  He  was  himself  a  very  common-looking 
specimen  of  humanity,  dressed  in  an  ordinary  gray  suit. 
The  Viceroy  took  leave  of  him  immediately  on  reaching 
the  station,  and  returned  alone  in  a  close  carriage.  As  he 
passed  us  he  looked  out  of  the  window  and  gave  us  a  very 
graceful  salute. 

Sometime  ago  we  went  one  afternoon  to  the  Mosque  of 
Sultan  el  Hasan,  one  of  the  oldest  and  most  famous  in  the 
city.  It  was  just  sunset — the  first  "  hour  of  prayer  "  when 
we  went  in  and  the  Muezzin  went  upon  the  lofty  Minaret — 
two  hfindrcd  and  sixty  feet  high — and  chanted  in  the  most 
sonorous  and  indeed  harmonious  tones,  "  God  is  most  Great. 
I  testify  that  there  is  no  deity  but  God.  I  testify  that  Mo- 
hammed is  God's  apostle.  Come  to  prayer.  Come  to  se- 
curity, God  is  most  Great.  There  is  no  god  but  God."  As 
soon  as  the  "  call "  was  finished,  all  those  who  had  per- 
formed the  required  ablutions  at  a  large  fountain  in  the 
center  of  the  great  square  came  and  knelt  in  a  line,  Avith 
their  faces  toward  Mecca,  and  the  Iman  who  leads  in  the 
prayer  stood  before  them.  There  were  twenty-five  in  the 
row,  and  I  am  sure  I  never  saw  anywhere  a  greater  appear- 
ance of  solemnity  and  deep  feeling,  without  any  admixture 
of  either  aflfectation  or  fanaticism.     They  first  took  position 


126  LIFE   AND    LETTERS   OF 

on  the  knees  and  toes,  and  when  they  bowed  their  heads, 
which  they  must  do  without  moving  the  feet,  their  fore- 
heads touched  the  ground.  They  recited  in  concert  what 
seemed  not  very  different  from  the  "  call,"  and  after  several 
prostrations  they  rose  to  their  feet  and  again  recited  it, 
then  knelt  again,  &c.  Not  an  eye  was  turned  towards  us 
by  the  worshippers  and  there  Avas  something  impressive  in 
their  deep,  sonorous  voices,  echoing  through  such  a  grand 
old  building. 

As  we  came  out  little  children  and  larger  ones  came 
trooping  after  us  begging  for  bucksheesh,  of  course.  One 
little  one,  about  four  years  old,  ran  after  the  gentlemen,  and 
not  receiving  what  he  asked,  he  did  the  next  best  thing  for 
this  country — cursed  their  fathers. 

Last  Saturday  one  of  the  members  of  the  church  here 
sent  for  us  to  go  up  to  the  citadel  to  see  the  ceremony  of 
carrying  the  Kisweh  or  covering  for  Mahammed's  tomb  in 
Mecca,  from  the  place  where  the  parts  of  it  ai-e  made  to 
the  Mosque  of  Hasseyn,  to  be  sewed  together  preparatory 
to  the  setting  out  of  the  Pilgrims  to  Mecca.  The  Kisweh 
consisted  of  four  pieces  of  black  cloth,  embroidered  like 
that  on  the  tomb  of  Mohammed  Ali,  and  borne  upon  the 
shoulders  of  men. 

The  procession  was  headed  by  two  battalions  of  infantry, 
containing  one  thousand  men,  each  preceded  by  a  band  of 
fifty  musicians.  Then  followed  thousands  of  fellaheen,  the 
real  descendants  of  the  prophet  being  distinguished  from 
the  others  by  a  green  turban.  Some  carried  flags  of  all 
colors  and  designs,  and  others  musical  instruments.  As 
the  Kisweh  passed  many  of  the  people  ran  up  and  rubbed 
their  hands  over  it  "  to  obtain  a  blessing."  Just  behind  it 
was  a  gorgeous  canopy  borne  on  a  large  camel,  the  latter 
literally  covered  with  every  ornament  that  could  be  fast- 


i 


MRS.   MARY  GALLOWAY   GIPPEN.  127 

ened  to  it.  This  camel  carries  the  Kisweh  to  Mecca,  &c., 
is  therefore  sacred  forever  afterward. 

Such  spectacles  as  these  give  one  an  idea  of  the  strength, 
and  power  of  the  Moslem  religion,  and  yet  in  one  way  its 
power  is  broken.  Twenty-five  years  ago  no  Christian  dared 
go  on  the  streets  before  a  3Io.^que,  or  be  seen  during  one  of 
these  processions.  Now  there  are  any  quantity  of  police- 
men who  watch  all  foreigners,  and  take  especial  pains  to 
see  that  no  insult  is  offered  them.  When  the  procession 
was  passed  we  were  stopped  and  asked  if  anything  had 
been  said  to  us,  or  if  we  had  any  kind  of"  complaint  to 
make. 

Fanatical  devotion  to  Mohammedanism  is  rare  except 
among  the  poor.  But  Christianity  is  not  taking  its  place. 
There  is  a  great  spectre  stalking  through  Egypt,  and  that  is 
infidelity.  Ashamed  of  Mohammedan  practices,  the  religion 
of  Jesus  is  none  tlie  less  abhorred,  except  that  foreigners 
who  are  considered  its  special  exponents  command  respect 
for  their  superior  intelligence  and  their  citizenship  in  pow- 
erful governments." 


128  LIFE   AND    LETTEES   OP 

CHAPTER  XI. 

OSIOUT   AND    ITS   SCHOOLS. 

"  After  mouths  of  waiting  the  Association  has  had  a 
meeting  and  disposed  of  us,  at  least  for  a  time.  Mr.  aud 
Mrs.  Nichol  are  stationed  in  Mausoora,  and  I  am  to  go 
with  them  '  for  the  present.' 

After  the  meeting,  Dr.  Hogg  and  others  urged  it  on  me 
to  go  up  to  Osiout  and  see  the  work  there  before  going  to 
my  own  field.  The  distance  I  think  is  two  hundred  and 
thirty  miles,  and  as  we  traveled  second-class  it  was  in  many 
respects  an  uncomfortable  day.  The  country  was  beauti- 
ful. The  inundation  had  subsided,  and  the  wheat  was 
everywhere  of  the  richest  green.  Much  of  the  way  we 
were  in  sight  of  the  river,  aud  only  now  and  then  did  the 
valley  widen  out  so  much  that  you  could  not  see  the  limits 
on  both  sides.  Indeed  it  is  only  a  narrow  strip  of  green 
between  the  two  ranges  of  mountains,  and  the  more  you 
look  at  it  the  more  the  wouder  increases  that  so  many  mil- 
lions live  upon  its  products.  It  is  true,  however,  that  the 
support  many  of  them  receive  is  of  the  scantiest  kind, 
In  fact  it  is  the  boast  of  the  Viceroy  that  his  fellaheen  need 
but  a  few  metres  of  cloth  aud  a  few  bushels  of  the  seed  of 
sorghum  to  live  upon  a  whole  year.  For  this  miserable 
pittance  they  toil  all  the  year,  live  in  a  mud  hut,  sow,  reap 
and  gather  in  their  abundant  harvests  only  to  give  it  all 
up  to  a  merciless  oppressor.  If  there  is  "  a  large  Nile  " 
and  good  crops,  the  rich  are  made  richer,  but  to  the  poor 
fellah  it  is  all  one.  A  most  careful  calculation  is  made  of 
just  how  little  he  can  live  on,  and  every  farthing  above 
that   is   violently  taken  from  him.     What   other  nation 


MRS.    MARY    GALLOWAY    (ilFI'EN.  120 

would  labor  on  in  this  way,  year  after  year,  patiently,  in- 
dustriously, and  still  not  grow  low  and  groveling  in  their 
minds  ?  Perhaps  most  peojile  think  of  these  poor  fellaheen 
as  heathen,  as  coarse  in  their  dress,  manner  and  appearance. 
But  they  are  not  heathen.  They  arc  intensely  religious, 
and  they  are  innately  polite,  so  much  so  that  Franks  often 
impress  them  as  very  rude.  Nowhere  in  the  world  is  there 
a  keener  sense  of  propriety  or  a  more  rigid  adherence  to 
the  forms  of  etiquette,  albeit  the  points  on  which  they  lay 
most  emphasis  are  not  always  the  same  as  with  us.  They 
are  quick  and  shrewd,  and  need  but  small  opportunities  to 
develop  most  respectable  mental  characteristics.  Travelers 
are  flooding  the  Western  world  with  glowing  accounts  of 
the  magnificent  developments  of  the  Viceroy  of  Egypt, 
that  he  is  restoring  the  country  to  its  original  place  among 
the  nations,  that  he  is  educating  and  enlightening  his  peo- 
ple, and  that  he  is  one  of  the  most  able  sovereigns  of  mod- 
ern times.  And  he  is — if  the  most  intense  selfishness  the 
world  ever  saw  is  greatness.  It  is  true  that  he  is  making  Cairo 
like  Paris,  true  that  thei'e  ai'e  large  government  schools  in 
it  and  in  a  few  other  cities,  true  that  there  are  magnificent 
palaces  all  through  the  land,  true  that  there  are  parks  and 
gardens  and  nurseries  which  cost  millions  of  dollars,  true 
that  there  are  aqueducts,  canals,  bridges,  factories,  muse- 
ums and  libraries ;  but  they  are  all  for  the  rich.  From 
the  poor  all  is  taken.  Dozens  and  dozens  of  boys  Avere  hard  at 
work  in  the  fields  along  the  railroad  as  we  went  up,  with- 
out one  particle  of  clothing.  True,  the  last  of  Novend)er 
is  not  just  the  same  here  as  in  America,  nevertheless  we, 
inside  the  cars,  were  dressed  about  as  warmly  as  we  would 
have  been  at  home.  How  often  we  thought  of  the  Egyp- 
tian bondage  of  other  days,  the  brick  that  must  be  made 
without  straw,  and  of  the  cry  that  went  up  to  heaven. 


130  LIFE   AND   LETTERS   OF 

Osiout  made  me  think  often  of  Due  West,  not  of  course 
that  the  people  of  the  two  places  resemble  each  other,  or 
that  this  mud  city  of  30,000  inhabitants  is  anything  like 
our  little  town.  But  it  is  an  educational  centre.  There  is 
the  College,  the  Girls'  Seminary  and  the  Theological  Sem- 
inary. Almost  all  with  whom  we  came  in  contact  were 
either  teachers  or  students,  and  it  was  a  pleasant  sight  to 
see. 

The  first  morning  I  awoke  at  early  dawn  with  the  sound  of 
voices  reading  aloud  near  me.  I  soon  found  that  it  was  the 
college  boys  preparing  their  morning  lessons  out  in  a  jialm 
grove  just  beside  the  house.  By  the  time  we  had  taken 
breakfast  they  had  assembled  in  the  church  for  roll  call 
and  general  chapel  exercises.  Our  former  teacher,  Moal- 
lim  Abd  el  Noor,  officiated,  and  woe  to  the  boy  Avho  for  a 
second  deferred  answering  to  his  name.  There  was  not  a 
whisper  in  the  Avhole  house,  and  only  two  out  of  the  one 
one  hundred  were  absent.  Most  of  the  boys  are  of  a  yel- 
low complexion.  Some  of  them  are  a  good  deal  darker, 
but  you  don't  have  any  of  the  feeling  that  they  are  dull 
Africans.  They  have  almost  universally  fine  spai-kling 
eyes  and  bright,  intelligent  countenances.  Many  of  them 
are  very  handsome,  but,  as  in  other  parts  of  the  world,  a 
few  of  them  are  unfortunate  enough  to  be,  according  to 
Southern  idiom,  very  ugly.  I  don't  think  there  was  one 
of  them  in  Frank  dress,  and  only  two  or  three  are  able  to 
afford  the  red  tarboosh.  All  the  rest  wear  caps  of  the 
same  shape  made  of  coarse  white  cloth.  The  outside  gar- 
ment in  most  cases  was  a  long  blue  gown,  to  which  those 
who  could  afford  it  added  a  shawl  of  some  kind,  worn  cor- 
nerwise,  like  a  woman  would  do  at  home.  The  college  is 
just  near  the  church,  and  we  walked  over  with  the  teach- 
er,   He  showed  lis  through  the  dormitories,  kitcjieii,  &c, 


MRS.    MARY    GALLOWAY    GIFFEN.  131 

The  beds  were  simply  reed  mats  on  the  stone  floors.  On 
each  three  boys  sleep  and  have  one  or  two  blankets  to 
cover  them.  A  slate  hanging  on  the  wall  showed  how 
many  boys  belonged  to  one  room.  In  one  room  twenty- 
one  were  marked,  in  another  twenty-five.  The  two  sick 
boys  were  lying  on  their  mats,  and,  oh,  hoAV  little  com- 
fort they  seemed  to  have,  and  yet  we  knew  it  was  far  more 
than  they  were  accnstomed  to  at  home.  Not  long  ago  one 
of  them  was  delirious  one  night  and  ran  round  like  a 
madman  over  his  sleeping  room-mates.  We  next  went 
through  the  recitation  rooms,  four  in  number,  Mr.  Strang 
using  the  church  as  a  class  room  for  his  department. 
These  in  summer  would  not  appear  uncomfortable,  but  in 
winter,  the  stone  floors,  brick  walls,  and  thin  clothing  of 
the  students,  give  one  a  very  unpleasant  sensation  of  shiv- 
ering. We  took  seats  in  each  of  the  rooms  and  listened 
to  the  recitations.  Three  of  the  native  teachers  are  grad- 
uates of  the  Beruit  College,  and  they  know  well  both  hoAV  to 
teach  and  to  govern.  I  never  saw  better  order  or  closer  atten- 
tion in  my  life.  Indeed  there  was  a  docility  in  the  appearance 
of  the  students  which  I  never  saw  before  ;  an  eager,  anx- 
ious desire  to  profit  by  every  advantage  which  would  glad- 
den the  hearts  of  college  professors  at  home,  and  more 
than  repay  fathers  and  mothers  for  the  sacrifices  they  make 
in  sending  their  sons  off*  to  school.  These  boys  know  what 
they  are  in  Osiout  for,  and  by  the  time  they  have  finished 
their  course,  any  institution  might  be  proud  of  them. 

The  third  morning  we  went  out  with  Miss  Lockart  to 
her  day  school.  All  the  pupils  are  little  girls,  who  are 
taught  what  is  required  for  admission  into  the  boarding- 
school.  While  Ave  were  there  a  woman  come  in  and  in- 
vited us  to  her  house,  though  Miss  L.  had  never  seen  her. 
She  ran  off  ahead  of  us  jind  had  the  eourt  swept,  mats 


132  LIFE   AND    LETTERS   OF 

and  rugs  spread  out  for  us,  and  l)rouglit  in  her  sister-in- 
law  to  see  us.  Coffee  was  served  on  a  silver  salver,  and 
she  brought  out  a  beautiful  lot  of  gold  embroidery  for  us 
to  see.  She  said  her  husband  read  the  Bible  to  her  at 
night,  but  would  not  allow  her  to  go  to  church.  She  lis- 
tened very  attentively  to  all  the  ladies  said  and  seemed  so 
pleased  Avith  the  visit.  From  her  house  we  went  to  the 
"  Congregational  Academy,"  that  is,  the  school  supported 
by  the  Osiout  congregation.  We  found  three  teachers  and 
seventy-seven  little  boys  in  a  room  about  fifteen  by  twenty 
feet.  The  boys  were  packed  in  rows  three  deep  all  around 
the  room,  Avhich  left  a  little  space  for  teachers  and  classes 
in  the  centre.  Two  little  boys  read  for  us  in  the  Gospel 
who  were  four  and  a-half  and  four  years  old.  What  do 
you  think  of  that  ?  The  little  creatures  were  sitting  flat 
on  the  cold  stones,  and  Ave  could  but  Avonder  how  their  lit- 
tle heads  got  as  much  in  them  as  they  did  under  such  un- 
toAvard  circumstances.  Oh,  how  it  does  make  you  long  for 
money  to  see  such  things,  and  yet  if  Ave  could  have  been 
in  Osiout  ten  years  ago  Ave  might  have  Avondered  Avhat  to 
do  Avith  money  if  Ave  had  had  it. 

Osiout  is  a  mtd  city.  We  Avere  told  that  you  might  dig 
down  most  of  the  houses  Avith  a  mattock,  the  brick  being 
only  dried  in  the  sun.  A  very  feAV  of  them  are  plastered 
and  AvhiteAvashed,  and  quite  as  nice  to  live  in  as  the  stone 
houses  of  Cairo  and  Alexandria.  One  evening  Ave  Avent 
up  to  the  mountain  just  back  of  the  migsion  house,  and 
got  from  the  summit  Avhat  Dean  Stanley  pronounces  "  the 
finest  vicAv  in  all  Egypt."  The  mountain  is,  perhaps,  six 
or  seven  hundred  feet  high,  and  enables  you  to  sweep  the 
narroAv  valley  Avith  its  green  fields,  mud  villages  and  Avind- 
ing  river  for  perhaps  tAventy-five  miles  in  each  direction. 
We  coiinted  tAventy-six  minarets  in  the  city,  their  Avhite 


MRS.    MARY   GALLOWAY   GIFFEN.  133 

spires  towering  u})  among  the  brown  imid  houses  and  glit- 
tering like  burnished  steel  in  the  bright  sunsliine.  Mur- 
ray's Guide  book  says  there  are  twenty  thousand  inhabi- 
tants, but  it  looked  like  a  little  village  only,  and  from  the 
mountain  there  was  no  appearance  of  a  street  anywhere. 
This  mountain  is  a  famous  place.  Its  sides  are  completely 
"  honey-combed  "  with  chapels  and  niches  for  mummies. 
One  of  the  chapels  is  three  hundred  feet  long,  and  once 
had  its  sides  and  roof  covered  with  idolatrous  paintings. 
But  after  the  introduction  of  Christianity  into  the  coun- 
try, these  chapels  became  the  dwellings  of  Christian  monks, 
who  covered  the  painted  walls  with  a  cement  which  still 
remains.  It  is  pretty  well  established  that  Jeremiah  lived 
for  a  time  in  one  of  these  rock-hewn  cells,  and  in  another 
lived  for  a  long  while  the  celebrated  Monk  John,  to  whom  the 
Emperor  Theodosius  sent  to  inquire  the  result  of  a  war 
into  which  he  was  entering.  Everywhere  were  human 
bones,  pieces  of  mummy  cloth  and  fragments  of  mummy 
cases.  We  sat  down  at  the  summit  to  rest  and  to  look 
over  the  moslem  cemetery  at  the  base,  and  while  we  sat 
there  one  of  our  donkey  boys,  who  had  seen  us  })icking  up 
bones,  &c.,  ran  oft' to  a  cell  and  came  out  with  what  looked  in 
the  distance  exactly  like  a  little  baby  mummy.  Dr.  Hogg  was 
with  us  and  had  just  buried  little  Artie.  The  sight  cut  us  all 
to  the  heart.  The  boy  had  stuck  a  stick  into  the  cloth  ban- 
dages and  was  carrying  it  away  up  in  the  air.  While  Ave 
looked  the  bandage  gave  way,  and  it  fell  with  a  thud  which 
made  us  shudder.  However,  when  he  came  nearer  he 
threw  it  down  among  us,  and  it  happened  to  be  the  upper 
half  of  a  woman's  body — evidently  an  old  one.  The 
pressure  of  the  bandages  had  been  so  great  that  the  breast 
was  lapped  and  the  shoulders  seemed  not  more  than  nine 
inches  across,  though  the  forearm  was  nearly  as  long  as 


134  LIFE   AND   LETTERS   OF 

mine.  The  tongue  looked  like  a  jDiece  of  black  leather, 
and  the  mouth  above  the  tongue  was  filled  with  mummy 
cloth.  When  the  boy — a  Moslem — threw  it  down,  he  said, 
with  an  expression  of  contempt,  "  Cupteya  " — Copt.  Dr. 
Hogg  said,  "La  Wothaneeya" — an  idolater.  We  could 
pick  the  dried  flesh  to  pieces  with  our  fingers.  It  came  off 
like  the  grain  of  decayed  wood,  and  looked  very  much 
like  that.  When  we  were  sitting  round  it,  not  much  imag- 
ination was  required  to  bring  up  the  time  when  the  soul 
had  left  this  dry,  broken  body.  We  wondered  where  its 
abode  was  now,  and  the  hope  rose  in  our  hearts  that  curi- 
ous hands  might  never  so  handle  our  bones." 

On  the  last  day  of  our  stay  we  took  breakfast,  bade  good- 
bye, and  left  the  house  just  at  dawn.  Dark  as  it  still  was, 
however,  the  college  boys  were  all  out  sitting  on  the  cold 
ground  in  an  open  place  in  front  of  the  house  studying 
with  all  their  might.  Poor  boys!  and  yet  how  rich  and 
fortunate  they  are  compared  with  their  fathers.  With  no 
beds,  with  little  but  coarse  bread  to  eat,  with  the  scantiest 
clothing,  with  no  fire  but  the  sun  heat,  with  no  lamp  ex- 
cept the  moonlight,  they  will  yet  attain  a  point  of  which 
many  a  favored  student  in  America  will  fall  short. 

We  left  Osiout  with  the  feeling  that  Dr.  Hogg  might 
well  look  round  over  his  work  for  these  ten  years  and  say, 
"  What  has  God  wrought ;  "  and  also  with  the  conviction 
that  what  had  been  accomplished  in  that  city  would,  be- 
fore the  end  of  the  century,  be  repeated  to  the  very  sources 
of  the  Nile.  God  grant  that  it  may  be  so,  and  if  it  is  his 
will,  that  our  eyes  may  see  it." 


I 


MRS.    MARY   GALLOWAY   GIFFEN.  135 

CHAPTER  XII. 

DORE's     gallery — "  DESCENT     OF     CHRIST      FROM      THE 

PRiETORIUM." 

I  think  that  which  most  Americans  look  forward  to  in 
the  tour  of  Europe  with  tlie  keenest  anticipation,  is  the 
painting  and  statuary  of  the  Okl  World.  No  volume  of 
journeyiug's,  no  series  of  newspaper  articles  is  complete 
without  some  eestatics  on  "  the  subject  of  the  old  masters." 

Of  course  we  got  the  infection,  and  we  meant  to  see  all 
the  galleries  on  our  route,  but  somehow  or  other  in  London 
we  never  could  find  the  National  Gallery  open.  We  still 
hoped  to  succeed  till  the  last  afternoon,  and  failing  then 
we  decided  to  go  to  the  private  gallery  of  Gustave  Dore — 
a  Frenchman,  to  see  his  new'  picture  of  "  the  Descent  from 
the  Pristorium." 

In  the  ante-room  were  numerous  woodland  and  moun- 
tain scenes  of  great  beauty,  but  the  special  attraction  was 
"  The  Dream  of  Pilate's  Wife."  It  was  8x12  feet,  I 
think,  and  represented  her  as  having  risen  hastily  from  her 
couch  with  her  mind  full  of  distressing  thoughts.  She  is 
hurrying  out  from  her  bedroom  with  her  hand  on  her  brow 
as  if  she  felt  she  was  dreaming  when  she  hnew  she  was 
awake.  But  what  is  so  mysterious  to  her  is  plain  to  you. 
An  Angel  is  follounng  her  and  sjieaking  in  her  ear.  Perhaps 
the  painter's  solution  of  the  cause  of  the  dream  may  not 
be  a  very  orthodox  one,  but  it  seemed  a  beautiful  thought, 
when  we  were  looking  at  the  picture. 

But  the  crowd  was  pressing  into  the  next  room  and  we 
went  with  them.  Here  was  such  a  collection  as  one  sees 
once  in  a  lifetime.  There  were  three  very  fine  illustrations 
of  the    Inferno,    The    Slaughter   of  the    Innocents,  The 

F 


136  LIFE   AND    LETTERS   OF 

Coliseum  by  Moonlight,  with  the  dead  gladiators  lying  on 
the  sands  and  the  lions  and  tigers  walking  round  their  vic- 
tims. There  was  also  a  very  large  picture  of  St.  Au- 
gustine and  his  brother  monks,  and  a  scene  in  the  Alps,  so 
like  nature  itself  that  I  several  times  afterwards,  imagined 
that  we  passed  through  the  identical  gorge.  But  it  was 
some  time  after  we  entered  the  room  before  we  knew 
that  these  pictures  were  there.  Another  one  shut  these  all 
out  and  swallowed  up  every  thought  and  feeling.  If  the 
centuries  had  been  rolled  back  for  us  and  we  had  stood 
in  the  streets  of  Jerusalem  itself  on  that  fearful  day, 
when  Pilate  delivered  Jesus  to  be  crucified,  if  we  had 
really  heard  the  shouts  of  "  crucify  him,  crucify  him !  " 
and  had  really  seen  the  malice  and  wicked  satisfaction 
which  looked  out  of  the  eyes  of  the  chief  priests  and 
rulers  as  they  saw  "that  deceiver"  descend  the  steps  of 
the  Prsetorium.  I  am  sure  it  would  not  have  been  so  real 
to  us.  Had  we  seen  the  actual  remorse  written  on  the 
real  face  of  repentant  Peter,  the  great  agony  of  our 
Saviour's  mother  and  the  tender  care  of  the  beloved  disci- 
ple manifested  toward  her  in  that  fearful  trial  we  could 
not  have  understood  and  appreciated  it  half  so  well. 

The  picture  is  25  x  30  feet,  and  just  fills  up  one  end  of 
the  gallery.  Crimson  velvet  curtains  variously  arranged 
throw  light  and  shade  in  the  most  artistic  manner,  and  the 
moment  you  enter  the  door  your  eyes  rivet  themselves  on 
this  picture.  Away  back  in  the  blue,  hazy  distance  are  the 
domes  and  towers  of  the  holy  city,  while  just  in  front  are 
two  large  buildings,  from  one  of  which  Jesus  is  descend- 
ing. He  is  about  half  way  down  a  flight  of  thirty  steps, 
is  clothed  in  a  long  white  robe  ;  the  crown  of  thorns  is  on 
his  head,  his  hair  touches  his  shoulders,  and  the  blood  is 
trickling  through  it  and  falling  on  the  white  robe.     No 


MRS.    MARY   GALLOWAY    OfFFEN.  137 

gory  drops  ever  seemed  more  natural.  It  is  just  as  if  you 
naw  them  rolling  down  his  temples  and  dropping  from  the 
ends  of  the  hair.  But  he  does  not  seem  to  feel  it.  There 
is  perfect  calmness  on  his  face,  a  far  away  look  in  the  sol- 
emn eyes,  and  an  utter  ignoring  of  his  terrible  surround- 
ings, but  there  is  no  contempt  in  his  glance.  It  is  rather 
as  if  not  long  before  he  had  been  saying,  "  O  Jerusalem, 
Jerusalem,  how  often  would  I  have  gathered  thy  children, 
&c.,"  while  the  sorrowful  heartstrings  yet  vibrated,  though 
the  thought  itself  had  passed  away,  as  he  was  fixing  his 
soul  upon  his  Father  for  strength  to  sustain  him  when  he 
should  be  made  an  offering  for  the  sin  of  the  world.  Just 
behind  him  stand  Annas  and  Caiaphas  on  the  stairs,  and 
you  feel  as  if  you  heard  them  gloating  over  their  triumph. 
Just  below,  on  one  side,  stands  Peter,  a  great  sorrow  on  his 
face  and  wonder  in  his  eyes,  that  He  who  walked  on  the 
sea.  He  who  could  foretell  his  denial  and  convince  him 
with  a  look  when  the  cock  had  crowed  thrice,  should  allow 
Himself  to  be  led  away  to  death.  "  Can  He  be  the  Christ? " 
speaks  in  every  line  of  his  face.  Below  all  is  another  sor- 
rowful group.  Mary  stands  with  her  hand  on  her  breast. 
There  are  no  tears  in  her  eyes,  and  her  lips  are  still,  but 
her  whole  brow  quivers.  It  is  an  unspeakable  agony,  and 
you  are  sure  that  "  a  sword  is  piercing  through  her  soul 
also."  The  beloved  disciple  is  leaning  forward  and  speak- 
ing to  her  with  the  deepest  sympathy  and  affection,  while 
two  great  rough  Roman  soldiers  stand  gazing  at  her  as  if 
spell-bound  by  the  sight  of  such  great  agony.  Another 
woman,  perhaps  "  the  other  Mary,"  is  standing  by,  ringing 
her  hands  and  weeping  bitterly. 

These  are  the  only  countenances  in  those  surging  thous- 
ands where  there  is  one  trace  of  sorrow,  one  hint  of  com- 
passion.    On  the  railings  of  the  stairs,  in  every  window,  on 


138  LIFE   AND    LETTERS   OF 

every  house  top,  in  every  balcony,  the  infuriated  multitudes 
are  pressing  for  a  sight  of  the  despised  Nazarine.  On  every 
hand  the  soldiers  are  thrusting  them  back,  and,  like  the 
wild  beasts  which  they  seem,  they  are  trampling  each  other 
down.  Here  is  a  woman  tumbling  from  a  balcony,  but  not 
more  than  tAvo  persons  seem  to  see  it.  Yonder  is  a  man 
crushed  against  a  wall  and  crying  fearfully  for  help,  but 
no  ear  hears  him.  Everywhere  the  great  black  eyes  glare 
on  one  object,  and  malice  and  envy  and  hate  and  every 
evil  passion  stream  out  as  if  the  rays  might  scorch.  The 
muscles  in  their  bared  arms  are  rigid,  and  the  veins  in 
their  foreheads  stand  out  under  the  pressure  of  fearful  ex- 
citement. Their  lips  writhe,  and  their  chests  heave,  and 
you  are  sure  you  hear  the  terrible  cry  over  and  over  again, 
"  Crucify  him  ! "  "Away  with  such  a  fellow  from  the  earth ! " 
"  His  blood  be  on  us  and  our  children." 

For  a  long  time  we  could  not  speak.  In  perhaps  half  an 
hour  we  exchanged  thoughts  in  a  whisper,  and  later  we 
took  a  Testament  and  read  the  four  jjccounts  of  the  cruci- 
fixion. Then  we  tried  to  examine  the  other  pictures,  but 
we  would  turn  back  to  this  one.  And  when  we  left  we  had 
not  the  heart  to  go  anywhere  else  as  we  might  have  done, 
but  went  quietly  to  our  hotel  and  waited  for  the  time  to 
leave  London. 

In  Rome  we  saw  Michael  Angelo's  "Groat  Judgment," 
and  other  pictures  by  the  old  masters,  but  they  made  no 
impression  on  us.  They  are  all  Catholic  paintings,  and 
Catholicism  wears  a  hateful  aspect  in  Rome.  Dore  is  a 
Protestant  painter,  and  our  thoughts  always  went  back  to 
his  gallery  when  we  saw  so  many  painted  Popes,  Virgins, 
Saints  and  crucifixes.  The  cross  in  Dore's  i)icture  lies  at 
the  foot  of  the  stairs,  two  soldiers  are  raising  it  to  lay  it  on 
the  Saviour's  shoulders,  and  the  shadow  it  casts  ou  the 


MRS.    MARY    r;ALLOWAY    filFFEX.  139 

stepp  looks  so  real  that  it  seems  it  must  be  there.     You 
feel,  too,  that  it  is  no  crucifix,  but  the  veritable  cross. 

Nothing  that  I  saw  in  Europe  so  lingers  in  iny  mind  as 
this  magnificent  picture.  It  is  soon  to  be  engraved,  and 
then  perhaps  our  friends  at  home  may  get  a  sight  of  it 
sometime.  Dorc  is  a  great  painter,  and  has  opened  a  new 
school  in  his  art.  On  this  one  j^icture  he  spent  five  years 
of  thought  and  labor." 

This  was,  I  presume,  the  first  picture  gallery,  worthy  the 
name,  into  which  j\Irs.  Giffen  had  ever  entered.  Certainly 
before  this  she  had  seen  isolated  specimens  of  the  art,  and 
read  much  of  "  the  old  masters ''  and  their  great  creations, 
yet  we  may  truly  say  that  this  was  her  first  introduction 
to  the  art.  But  we  question  much  if  the  annals  of  art 
criticism  can  show  anything  more  vivid  and  powerful  than 
this  wonderful  description  of  a  still  more  wonderful  paint- 
ing. The  picture  here  described,  and  which  made  so  pro- 
found an  impression  on  Mrs.  Giffen,  has  with  every  suc- 
ceeding year  become  more  and  more  admired  and  cele- 
brated. The  civilized  world  is  to-day  flooded  with  copies 
of  it — fully  justifying  all  that  is  here  said. 

Mrs.  Giffen  wrote  with  great  facility,  and  at  "  railway 
speed."  What  was  once  written  "  Avas  written."  She  re- 
vised little  which  flowed  from  her  ready  pen,  for  the  dou- 
ble reason  that  she  was  very  averse  to  such  labor,  and  of- 
ten had  not  the  time  to  spare  for  this  purpose.  Manv  of 
her  published  letters,  covering  page  after  page,  were  not 
only  written  very  hurriedly,  but  never  even  read  over  bv 
her,  the  manuscript  showing  not  a  single  erasure  or  substi- 
tution. The  thought  that  her  friends  in  America,  knowing 
little  of  the  unfavorable  circumstances  under  which  her 
letters  were  written,  might  think  they  were  the  best  she 
could  write,  troubled  her.     Her  nu\nuscript  of  the  letter 


140  LIFE   AND    LETTERS    OF 

just  read,  although  one  of  the  few  which  she  revised,  per- 
haps showed  not  a  single  correction.  It  was  written  in 
less  than  an  hour's  time,  and  six  months  after  seeing  the 
painting,  without  a  single  note  or  help  of  any  kind  to  re- 
fresh her  memory.  When  she  saw  it  first,  she  had  as  she 
expressed  it,  "  jDut  her  memory  on  its  honor  and  it  was 
faithful  to  the  trust."  But  lest  her  impressions  might  in 
some  particular  be  incorrect,  she  submitted  this  letter  to 
one  of  her  traveling  companions,  who  stood  with  her  be- 
fore the  marvelous  picture,  and  he  pronounced  it  very 
"  clearly  reproduced." 


CHAPTER  XIII. 


LIFE  AT  MANSOORA — STUDYING  AND  TEACHING — GLIMPSES 
OF    NATIVE   CUSTOMS. 

It  Avill  be  remembered  that  Mrs.  Giffen  was,  by  the  as- 
sociation, assigned  for  the  year  to  Mansoora.  Hence  she 
writes : 

"  I  left  Cairo  for  Mansoora  on  the  9th  and  came  down 
alone.  This  is  a  rather  more  formidable  matter  than  at 
home,  especially  when  you  can  speak  no  language  that 
will  be  understoofl.  I  was  greatly  surprised  at  the  num- 
ber of  trees  through  the  country.  The  roads  are  always 
along  the  banks  of  canals,  and  these  trees  are  a  most  de- 
lightful institution  for  the  poor  fellaheen.  They  are  often 
set  out  when  the  trunks  are  a  foot  or  more  in  diameter  and 
the  rapidity  of  their  growth  is  simply  amazing.  I  passed 
through  the  "  Laud  of  Goshen  "  but  I  had  no  one  to  tell 


MRS.   MARY   GALLOWAY   GIFFEN.  141 

me  where  it  began  or  how  far  it  extended,  so  I  cannot  de- 
scribe it  now.  The  fields  were  full  of  laborers,  part  gath- 
ering the  cotton  stalks,  binding  them  nicely  in  great  bun- 
dles, lading  them  upon  donkeys  and  camels  and  sending 
them  away  to  the  markets  for  fuel ;  and  the  rest  plowing 
up  the  soil  where  the  cotton  had  grown.  There  are  no 
single  plows  there.  Generally  you  see  a  cow  and  a  camel 
harnessed  together. 

Mansoora,  as  perhaps  you  know,  is  situated  on  the  Da- 
mietta  branch  of  the  Nile.  It  is  the  centre  of  the  largest 
and  richest  cotton  district  in  Egypt.  It  contains  forty 
thousand  inhabitants. 

Our  house  is  right  on  the  river.  The  foundations  touch 
the  water  and  the  masts  of  the  cotton  boats  sometimes 
strike  the  porch.  We  have  the  second  story,  and  the 
porch  extends  out  over  the  water.  The  house  is  very  com- 
fortable except  that  it  is  very  cold.  The  river  is  exactly 
on  the  northern  side,  and  now  when  we  need  it  so  much 
we  do  not  get  a  ray  of  sunshine  in  our  living  rooms. 
However,  Mr.  Nichol  yesterday  received  the  present  of  a 
stove  about  the  size  of  a  "  half  bushel  "  measure,  from  a 
hardware  firm  in  Alexandria,  and  when  we  get  that  up  Ave 
will  not  shiver  so  much.  I  never  prized  sunshine  so  much 
before,  and  oh  !  what  I  w^ould  give  for  just  a  little  fire  in 
my  room.  How  glad  we  will  be  when  summer  comes 
again." 

Although  the  Association  did  not  require  it  and  Mrs. 
Giffen  had  only  studied  Arabic  eight  months,  yet  on  her 
arrival  in  Mansoora  she  at  once  opened  school  under  what 
difficulties  we  can  readily  imagine.     She  says : 

"  The  next  Monday  after  I  came  Moallim  Tadrus  an- 
nounced to  the  boys  that  they  were  to  bring  their  sisters 
Tuesday  morning  and  there  would  be  a  school  for  them  in 


142  LIFE    AND    LETTERS   OP 

the  church.  I  went  next  morning  and  found  eleven  girls. 
Seven  of  the  girls  had  the  same  name  and  when  I  called 
that  name  the  whole  seven  either  screamed,  "  Nahm  !  " — 
here  I  am,  or  came  running  in  wooden  sandals  like  a  small 
avalanche.  I  was  so  tried  and  frightened  that  I  couldn't 
command  the  little  colloquial  I  Jcnew  and  they  talked  so 
rapidly  and  used  so  many  contractions  that  I  could 
scarcely  understand  one  word  in  ten.  However  we  read 
in  the  Testament,  spelled  and  read  in  the  primer,  and  had 
Arabic  and  English  alphabet  on  the  blackboard.  I  had 
read  most  in  Matthew,  and  so  I  began  there  in  school,  hop- 
ing that  by  asking  simple  questions  I  woiild  learn  to  talk. 
But  the  three  large  girls  knew  it  from  memory  almost  ver- 
batim, so  that  when  I  got  a  question  only  started  they 
would  run  on  and  repeat  perhaps  three  or  four  verses.  So 
I  decided  that  would  not  do,  and  I  would  put  them  in  Rev- 
elation with  the  hope  that  they  didn't  know  so  much  about 
it.  Next  day  I  had  seventeen  girls,  and  I  had  the  satisfac- 
tion of  finding  Revelation  quite  a  success.  Thursday 
another  large  girl  came  from  Jaffa  with  two  others  from  the 
city;  but,  oh,  what  long,  hard  days  those  were!  The  girls, 
as  well  as  the  Avomen,  have  such  fearful  voices.  None  of 
them  have  the  faintest  idea  that  quiet  can  be  a  desirable 
thing,  or  that  it  is  not  proper  for  every  member  of  a  class 
to  scream  at  the  top  of  her  voice  to  any  girl  in  the  room 
who  was  not  giving  general  satisfaction.  Each  one  was 
sure  that  she,  and  only  she,  understood  what  I  was  trying 
to  say,  and  that  only  herself  could  set  the  others  straight. 
Often  I  was  almost  in  despair,  but  Saturday,  that  boon  of 
even  a  missionary's  heart,  came  at  last.  Sabbath  came 
also,  and  found  eight  of  my  little  wild  Egyptians  in 
church,  nicely  dressed  for  them,  and  about  half  of  them, 
with  their  hearts  set  on  having  me  go  home  with  them 


MRP.    MARY    GALLOAVAY    GIFFEN.  148 

from  church  ;  but  I  said  "  La."  This  week  I  have  about 
twenty-Jive  on  the  roll.  I  am  getting  a  little  order  into  last 
week's  chaos,  and  now  and  then  I  make  the  wild  little 
things  exceedingly  ha])})y  by  understanding  all  they  have 
said  and  giving  them  a  suitable  answer.  I  have  found  out, 
too,  a  most  delightful  way  of  comjiletely  defeating  them 
when  I  find  I  can't  understand.  I  put  on  a  bold  face  and 
talk  English  to  them  just  as  fast  as  they  talk  Arabic. 
They  cannot  stand  two  sentences.  It  would  amuse  you 
to  see  them  run,  literally  mm  from  it.  M>  success  with 
the  girls  delighted  me  so  much  that  I  concluded  to  try  it 
on  my  teacher,  and  it  had  precisely  the  same  effect  only 
that  he  turns  round  in  his  chair  instead  of  running.  How^- 
ever,  he  always  has  more  patience  with  me  after  I  admin- 
ister a  dose  of  English. 

It  was  at  noon  as  I  came  home  from  school.  The  street 
was  crowded  with  a  little  of  almost  everything  under 
heaven.  The  mosques  were  full  of  men  praying — it  is  the 
Moslem  Sabbath — and  there  were  great  crowds  still  rush- 
ing to  them.  My  elbow  was  jostled  at  almost  every  step, 
for  the  long  trains  of  laden  camels  and  wagons  give  pedes- 
trians but  narrow  limits.  A  donkey  almost  ran  over  me, 
and  as  I  was  getting  out  of  the  way  the  driver  said  most 
briskly,  "  Oo-ah,  riglik,  ya  uchtee!  "  Take  care  of  your 
feet,  my  sister.  In  escaping  from  one  evil,  hoAvever,  I  ran 
into  another.  AVhen  I  looked  ui)  a  camel  boy  w^as  shout- 
ing to  me,  "  Shemahlee !  " — to  the  left — w'hile  the  ani- 
mal's mouth  was  almost  touching  my  head.  Sometimes  I 
climbed  over  the  ends  of  cotton  bags,  and  sometimes  I 
stood  and  waited  for  room  to  slip  by  a  wagon  wheel. 
Sometimes  I  "  tip-toed  "  through  the  mud  to  get  past  an 
old  woman's  "  market  " — bread  and  eggs  on  a  plank  in 
the  street,  and  sometimes  I  stepped  into  a  corner  and  let 


144  LIFE   AND   LETTERS   OF 

the  cotton  rollers  get  their  bales  past  me.  I  got  home 
"  safe  and  sound,"  however,  and  feeling  that  with  all  its 
trials,  I  would  not  exchange  the  life  on  which  I  am  enter- 
ing for  any  other.  I  will  think  of  home  as  it  looked  last 
Christmas,  of  the  little  town  as  it  was  then^  of  all  my 
friends  as  they  looked  then,  of  "  the  students  "  base-ball- 
ing or  riding,  and  of  "  the  girls  "  as  they  looked  when  I 
saw  them  last  in  the  College  Chapel  .About  the  time  we 
sit  down  to  dinner  to-morrow  I  will  send  to  them  "  on  the 
wings  of  the  breeze  "  a  happy  greeting — a  "  Merry  Chi-ist- 
mas  " — for  each  one  a  warm,  loving  thought  from  a  mis- 
sionary's heart.  May  it  be  said  to  each  of  them,  "  Inas- 
much as  ye  have  done  it  unto  one  of  the  least  of  these,  ye 
have  done  it  unto  me." 

Some  time  ago  I  was  passing  through  a  narrow  street 
lined  on  each  side  with  mud  huts  and  swarming  with 
women.  Five  or  six  were  sitting  on  the  ground  round  a 
door,  and  I  asked  if  they  could  read.  They  said  no,  and 
made  a  place  for  me  beside  them  on  the  ground.  I  read 
them  the  conversation  of  the  Saviour  with  Nicodemus 
about  the  "  new  birth."  I  soon  discovered  that  they  had 
never  heard  of  a  Saviour,  and  must  therefore  be  Moslems. 
They  listened  and  seemed  highly  pleased.  One  woman  put 
her  arms  around  me  and  patted  me  in  a  very  affectionate 
way.  When  I  got  up  to  leave  the  street  was  blocked  up, 
and  three  men  were  standing  just  behind  me.  Of  course 
it  was  soon  "  noised  abroad  "  that  I  had  sat  down  in  the 
streets  and  read  to  Moslems,  and  the  Protestants  thought 
it  not  very  safe.  I  didn't  knoAv  if  it  was  or  not,  but  a  day 
or  two  before  Dr.  Watson  was  down  one  of  the  women 
came  behind  me  as  I  was  going  to  school,  put  her  arms 
around  me,  and  seemed  troubled  that  I  hadn't  gone  back. 
Dr.  W.  told  me  there  was  no  impropriety  in  it  and  I  in- 


MRS.    MARY   GALLOWAY   GIFFEN.  145 

tend  to  go  every  day.  But  I  will  try  to  get  into  tlie  houses. 
The  girl  who  took  hold  of  me  in  the  street  says  "  her  heart 
just  opened  and  Mariam  went  into  it."  They  had  asked 
nie  my  name.  I  think  they  know  that  I  am  a  Protestant, 
but  they  do  not  seem  offended  at  it.  Every  new  one,  how- 
ever, asks  if  there  is  anything  about  JMoliammed  in  my 
book,  but  when  one  asked  if  there  were  any  Muslemeen 
among  the  English,  the  rest  said,  "  Shame  on  you  !  "  Of 
course  their  kindness  is  only  because  they  are  pleased  to 
have  "a  Sitt"  come  into  their  poor  little  houses  and  fur- 
nish them  something  new  and  nice  to  gossip  about.  Every 
time  they  pass  behind  me,  unless  I  am  reading,  they  kiss 
me  and  pat  me  and  call  down  every  blessing  on  me. 
There  is,  of  course,  much  to  re])el  one,  and  not  much  to 
encourage  the  hope  that  one  can  ever  communicate  the 
truth  to  such  determined  JMoslems,  but  when  I  see  how 
pleased  they  are  when  I  go,  and  how  empty  their  lives 
are,  I  think  I  ought  not  to  regret  the  time  it  requires.  It 
will  give  me  an  opportunity  to  learn  something  about 
Moslems,  besides  helping  me  in  talking.  They  have  com- 
menced teaching  me  the  proper  answers  to  polite  expres- 
sions, and  they  almost  "  eat  me  up  "  when  I  do  it  cor- 
rectly. It  is  perhaps  in  my  favor  that  I  cannot  talk 
much,  and  I  do  not  intend  to  let  them  know  that  I  un- 
derstand a  good  deal  more  than  I  can  say.  I  can  find 
out  their  animus  in  this  way. 

Each  side  of  the  river  here  is  almost  lined  with 
boats,  and  hundreds  of  people  seem  to  live  in  them.  In 
fact  the  Nile  is  the  great  centre.  No  wonder  idolatrous 
Egypt  worshiped  it,  calling  it  a  God.  It  comes  up  over 
the  land,  bringing  food  and  gladness  with  it.  It  is  the 
Arabs  great  highway  of  travel  and  commerce,  the  gener- 
ous fountain  from  which  he  quenches  his  thirst,  and  the 


14G  LIFE   AND   LETTERS   OP 

plentiful  bath  in  which  he  cleanses  his  not  over  fastidious 
person,  and  especially  is  it  the  great  newer  for  every  city 
on  its  banks.  Any  time  you  may  look  out  you  may  see 
the  women  going  down  with  their  water  jars  and  clothes 
to  be  washed.  The  latter  are  flapped  over  and  over  in  the 
water  and  then  rolled  up  into  a  lump  and  beaten  on  the 
bank,  then  put  into  the  water  again.  When  finished  the 
woman  gives  her  feet  and  limbs  a  bath,  and  without  mov- 
ing out  of  her  tracks  in  the  edge  of  the  water,  fills  her  jar 
with  water  and  goes  home  and  drinks  it.  But  when  our 
water  man  wishes  to  be  very  nice  he  takes  a  boat  and  goes 
into  the  middle  of  the  stream,  which  is  perhaps  four  hun- 
dred yards  wide  here,  and  fills  a  goat  skin  there.  The 
popular  belief  liere  is  that  the  water  of  the  Nile  is  purified 
from  anything  in  running  a  foot.  But  since  I  went  to 
Osiout  and  saw  all  the  washing  and  bathing  done  in  the 
river  and  canals,  and  since  I  have  been  here  on  the  very 
bank  of  the  stream,  I  don't  enjoy  the  water  as  much  as  I 
did  Avhen  I  was  in  Alexandria. 

I  have  just  returned  from  a  house  of  death,  a  house  of 
Egyptian  mourning,  and  if  you  had  seen  what  we  did,  you 
would  thank  God  for  a  Christian  country  and  for  Christian 
burial  when  life  is  over,  as  perhaps  you  never  did  before* 

The  boy  was  in  his  seventeenth  year,  and  had  been 
pretty  well  educated  in  our  boy's  school,  could  speak  Eng- 
lish quite  fluently  and  wrote  it  beautifully.  In  fact  his 
father  had  almost  consented  for  him  to  go  with  the  Consul 
to  the  Centennial,  as  his  interpreter.  He  was  a  promising 
boy  and  his  fiither's  "  first-born  " — which  has  a  wonderful 
amount  of  meaning  here.  So  of  course  it  was  a  terrible 
blow.  When  I  went  to  the  house  I  found  about  sixty  or 
seventy  men,  the  father  among  them,  seated  in  perfect  si- 
lence on  each  side  of  the  street  in  front  of  the  house  ; 


MRS.    MARY   GALLOWAY    GIFPEN.  147 

though  long  before  I  reached  there  I  could  hear  the  wail- 
ing of  the  women  up  stairs.     I  went  up  and   found  the 
body  lying  on  the  mattress  of  a  divan  in  the  centre  of  the 
drawing-room,  an  ordinary  lady's  shawl  being  spread  cor- 
ner-wise all  over  it.     About  fifty  women  were  crowded  into 
the  rather  small  room  and  were  all  sitting  on  the  floor 
just  as  near  the  body  as  it  was  possible  for  them  to  get. 
The  step-mother  sat  at  his  left  side.     Everyone  had  a  small 
fancy  silk  handkerchief  in  her  hands,  which  she  moved  in 
such  a  way  as  to  keep  perfect  tim^  with  the  chant  and 
wailing.     The  body  is  swayed  to  and  fro  continually,  and 
the  little  shawl  is  gx-asped,  an  end  in  each  hand  in  a  loose, 
graceful  way,  and  the  time  is  kept  by  dropping  both  hands 
on  the  lap  and  then  throwing  them  up  again.     Sometimes, 
too,  to  indicate  stronger  feeling,  the  shawl  is  taken  nearer 
the  corners  and    thrown  round  and  round  until  it  twists 
and   then  is  suddenly  jei-ked   out  as   I  have  often  seen 
children  twirl  a  button  on  a  string.     Every  new-comer 
stood  up  as  near  as  she  could  get  to  the  corpse  and  did  this 
leaning  over  it.     Then  sometimes  they  would  lay  down  the 
shawls  and  placing  both  hands  together  strike  their  faces 
with  the  palms,  all  in  perfect  time  Avith  the  chant.     When 
I  went  in  they  gave  me  a  seat  on  a  divan  where  I  could 
see  all  that  was  going  on.     The  step-mother's  sister  sat  at 
the  feet  and  was  screaming  at  the  top  of  her  voice,  "  Ya 
habeebee!    Ya  Azeezee  !  "    O  ray  beloved  one,  O  my  pre- 
cious one  !  Then  perhaps  in  the  next  breath  she  would  lit- 
erally yell  at  some  servant  or  some  one  who  wasn't  pleas- 
ing her,  or  get  up,  give  them  a  shove  or  a  jerk  in  the  right 
direction  and  come  back  to  her  wailing.     The  mother  was 
more  quiet,  but  as  night  approached  they  all  became  more 
violent.     Sometimes  the  whole  fifty  would  shriek  in  con- 
cert, a   peculiar  scream  which  cannot  be  described  and 


148  LIFE   AND   LETTERS   OP 

which  can  never  be  mistaken  for  any  other  cry.  Some- 
times part  would  chant  and  part  wail,  and  sometimes  only 
one  would  chant  and  at  certain  points  all  the  rest  wail  in 
a  wild,  fearful  chorus.  In  the  chant  itself  there  was 
something  very  beautiful.  But  I  could  not  catch  the 
words.  The  last  refrain  however  sounded  exactly  like  "  O 
thou  holy  one !  "  in  English,  but  of  course  it  wasn't. 

Up  to  the  time  the  coffin  came  I  had  seen  little  evidence 
of  real  feeling  or  sorrow.  And  it  seemed  to  me  if  Satan 
had  designed  to  invent  the  custom  which  would  most  effec- 
tually choke  reflection  and  right  feeling,  he  could  not 
have  devised  a  more  fitting  expedient  than  oriential  mourn- 
ing. 

After  the  procession  was  gone  I  went  and  sat  down  by  the 
mother.  She  was  chanting  a  soft  and  most  touchingly  pa- 
thetic lament  over  her  son.  "  Ya  Ibnee,  Ya  Ibnee !  " — O 
my  son,  my  son  !  O  my  beloved  one,  my  lamented  one ! 
Gone  this  night,  my  boy,  O  my  boy  !  Would  to  God  you 
could  come  to  me,  my  precious  one,  my  light-giving  one !  " 
I  never  heard  anything  like  it,  but  I  thought  instantly  of 
David  in  his  great  sorrow, "  O  Absalom  !  my  son,  my  son  !  " 
though  that  always  imj)i'essed  me  as  the  expression  of 
passionate  grief  This,  however,  was  a  regular  chant,  in  a 
soft,  touching,  minor,  an  improvisation  to  the  accompani- 
ment of  the  voice,  the  gentle  swaying  of  the  body  and  the 
motion  of  the  handkerchief — such  a  "  lament  "  as  poets  de- 
scribe and  yet  never  hear.  It  rings  still  in  my  ears  and  I 
know  will  mingle  itself  with  my  dreams. 

Another  soul  gone  to  stand  before  its  Judge  !  We  hope 
it  may  have  been  washed  in  the  cleansing  blood,  clothed  in 
the  precious  robe,  but  there  is  only  a  hope.  May  we  all  be 
the  better  for  the  terrible  scene  through  which  we  have 
passed  this  day,  and  with  strengthened  faith  and  deepened 


MES.    MARY   GALLOWAY   GIFFEX.  149 

love  exclaim  from  the  fullness  of  grateful  hearts,  "  Thanks 
be  unto  God  for  his  unspeakable  Gift! " 

Yesterday  one  of  my  little  girls  insisted  that  I  should 
go  home  with  her  at  noon. 

I  found  two  families  in  the  house,  and  as  I  went  in  the 
little  blind  brother  of  the  girl  called  out,  "  Welcome,  wel- 
come !  "  on  hearing  my  voice.  I  had  my  Testament  in  my 
hand,  and  after  a  little  "small  talk,"  they  ask  me  to  read, 
but  my  eyes  were  still  so  hot  I  didn't  dare  to  use  them,  so 
the  two  women  took  advantage  of  the  o])portunity  to  find 
out  something  more  about  me,  as,  for  instance,  where  I 
lived,  who  was  in  the  house  with  me,  if  I  were  a  Copt  or  a 
Moslem,  if  I  had  any  friends,  if  my  father  and  mother 
were  alive.  When  I  answered  the  last  question  in  the  af- 
firmative they  seemed  greatly  surprised,  and  asked  if  they 
loved  me.  No  native  here  can  understand  how  we  can 
leave  a  father  and  mother  to  go  to  a  foreign  land.  Even 
the  members  of  our  churches  do  not  find  it  easy  to  com- 
prehend. They  regard  it  as  deserting  those  to  whom  we 
are  bound  by  indissoluble  ties,  and  it  is  sometimes  rather 
hard  for  us  to  listen  patiently  to  their  assertions  that  we 
are  destitute  of  natural  affection.  They  always  ask  me  if 
I  have  any  brothers,  but  they  feel  no  interest  in  knowing 
that  I  have  sisters  too.  When  I  say  I  have  brothers  they 
ask  instantly  if  they  are  married,  and  when  I  tell  them 
one  is,  their  curiosity  is  at  white  heat  to  know  if  he  has 
any  little  ones.  Yes,  I  answer,  two  boys.  "  May  they  be 
blessed,"  they  exclaim.  If  I  should  say,  "  Yes,  two  nice 
little  girls,"  their  countenances  would  fall  instantly,  and 
they  would  say  in  most  pitying  tones, "  Meakeen,  meakeen ! " 
"  Poor  things,  poor  things  ! "  It  is  wonderful  the  meaning 
they  can  throw  into  these  two  words,  "  Bint  bess," — only  a 
girl. 


150  LIFE    AND    LETTERS   OF 

I  read  the  6th  chapter  of  Matthew,  and  we  talked  about 
it  a  little.  But  of  course  it  is  yet  very  difficult  for  me  to 
make  very  much  explanation,  especially  to  those  who  know 
nothing  of  the  Gospel.  The  blind  boy  came  and  sat  by 
me  while  I  read,  and  occasionally  made  some  remark. 
When  I  finished,  he  said,  "  That  is  Matthew."  I  said  it 
was,  and  asked  him  how  he  knew,  when  he  told  me  he 
knew  all  the  Gospels,  because  he  went  to  a  Coptic  school. 
I  then  told  the  women  that  Dr.  Watson  was  coming  to- 
morrow, and  would  preach  Sabbath,  and  they  both  said 
they  would  come  to  church.  The  boy  said,  "  0  that  I  could 
hear  him  !  " 

"You  might  'put  yourself  in  our  place'  with  a  good  deal 
of  accuracy,  if  you  would  imagine  yourself  and  Mrs.  B.  [This 
letter  was  written  to  Dr.  Bonner,  editor  Presbyterian. — Ed.], 
engaged  in  work  among  the  freedmen  of  the  South,  in  a 
city  where  there  was  just  one  family  working  with  you, 
but  whom  you  rarely  had  time  to  visit,  and  whom  you 
therefore  did  not  often  see  except  to  meet  at  church  twice 
on  Sabbath.  There  would  be  the  difference,  however,  that 
Arabs  have  more  mind  than  our  freedmen,  and  that  some 
of  them  have  Avealth,  but  Ave  do  not  have  much  to  do  with 
the  rich  ones,  as  a  rule,  and  even  if  we  did,  very,  very  few 
of  them  have  habits  which  would  make  it  really  pleasant 
to  associate  with  them  as  we  do  with  our  friends  at  home. 
And  I  think  there  is  probably  no  missionary  who  does  not 
feel  more  or  less  repugnance  at  first.  I  have  heard  differ- 
ent members  of  our  Mission  speak  of  this,  and  some  have 
confessed  to  a  degree  of  it  which  I  never  felt,  though  I 
think  it  Avould  naturally  be  expected  that  I  should  have 
felt  it  most.  You  soon  see  that  the  people  have  mind  and 
are  capable  of  being  taught,  and  the  consideration  that  it 
is  "  for  Christ's  sake"  reconciles  you  to  much  that  would 
otherwise  be  very  repulsive. 


MRS.    MARY    <4A1.1.0WAY    GIFFEN.  151 

Before  I  left  home,  I  read  a  letter  from  this  Mission  de- 
scribing the  things  that  JVIissionaries  Avere  expected  to  eat 
which  very  much  shocked  and  discouraged  me,  but  now 
that  I  have  had  the  experience  I  count  all  such  things  as 
one  of  my  very  small  trials.  It  is  often  not  at  all  pleas- 
ant at  the  time,  but  when  I  come  out  into  the  pure  air, 
come  into  our  own  clean,  comfortable  room,  and  sit  down 
to  a  nice,  clean  dinner,  the  contrast  only  makes  it  the  more 
enjoyable.  So  do  not  think  that  considerations  of  this  sort 
should  frighten  any  one  from  undertaking  mission  life." 
\  The  year  spent  in  Mansoora  was  to  Mrs.  Gifien  a  most 
trying  one.  In  her  private  letters  she  said  :  "  I  would  not 
live  over  that  first  year  again  for  a  great  deal.  Opening 
school  in  eight  months  after  coming  to  the  country,  with 
such  a  limited  knowledge  of  the  language,  with  no  gram- 
mar or  dictionary,  or  adequate  help  of  any  kind — it  was 
the  hardest  thing  I  ever  undertook,  and  with  all  the  other 
attending  perplexities  it  almost  killed  me." 

At  the  end  of  the  year  she  was  entirely  ])rostrated  by 
anxiety  and  overwork,  and  in  addition  was  seized  with 
jungle  fever.  Throughout  Mrs.  Giften's  entire  mission  life 
she  labored  too  hard  for  her  good,  endeavoring  to  do  more 
than  her  strength  warranted,  thus  making  herself  more 
liable  to  the  attack  of  disease.  Had  she  been  compelled 
to  labor  on  in  the  same  way  and  under  similar  circum- 
stances, another  year  would  have  cut  short  her  mission 
career  and  laid  her  to  rest  in  the  cemetery  at  Alexandria. 
But  fortunately  her  marriage  rescued  her  from  this  peril. 

Yet  during  this  same  year  she  writes :  "  I  am  happy 
here  and  think  I  always  will  be.  Nothing  troubles  me  but 
my  anxiety  to  get  the  language."  "  I  am  perfectly  satis- 
fied Avith  the  lot  I  have  chosen,  and  know  no  other  in  the 
world  for  which  I  would  willingly  exchange  it," 


152  LIFE   AND    LETTEES   OF 

So  thoroughly  was  her  soul  enlisted  in  her  work,  that 
during  this  year  Avhen  the  missionaries  and  more  devoted 
converts  began  to  agitate  the  question  of  establishing  a 
mission  in  Abyssinia,  twelve  hundred  miles  further  south, 
she  wrote  her  friends  in  America  to  this  effect,  "  In  a  year 
or  two — just  as  soon  as  a  lady  can  go,  I  will  consent  to  go 
and  work  among  the  seventy-five  millions  of  Abyssinia, 
Avho  have  never  so  much  as  heard  of  a  Saviour." 


CHAPTER  XIV. 

THE    PYRAMIDS. 


"  Before  I  left  home  a  great  many  of  my  friends  gave 
me  special  injunctions  about  different  things  which  I  was 
to  look  at  for  their  special  benefit.  Prominent  among 
these  was  "  The  Pyramids^  But  it  was  not  until  just  as 
I  was  leaving  Cairo  that  I  visited  them.  I  had  heard  so 
much  about  the  difficulty  of  the  ascent,  the  weary,  worn- 
out,  eighty-years-old  feeling  of  the  first  three  or  four  days 
succeeding  such  an  excursion,  and  also  of  the  overpower- 
ing sensation  of  terror  which  seizes  almost  every  one  who 
goes  inside  the  great  monument,  that  I  must  confess  I  was 
not  very  enthusiastic  about  making  the  visit.  However, 
as  much  from  a  sense  of  duty  as  otherw'ise,  I  decided  to 
go.  Mr.  A.  and  INIisses  J.  and  T.  accompanied  me.  It  is 
a  drive  of  about  ten  miles  from  the  city,  and  we  took  a 
carriage  and  started  after  early  breakfast. 

Formerly  it  was  rather  an  undertaking  to  get  over  these 
ten  miles,  but  on  the  ocaasion  of  the  Empress  Eugenie's 


MRS.    MARY   GALLOWAY   GIFFEN.  153 

visit  to  Egypt  the  Viceroy  had  a  beautiful  carriage  way 
constructed  the  entire  distance.  Trees,  perhaps  a  foot  in 
diameter  were  set  out  closely  on  each  side,  and  now  their 
thick  branches  overlap  each  other  in  beautiful  arches  and 
form  the  largest  and  prettiest  avenue  I  ever  saw.  Scarcely 
a  ray  of  sunlight  can  pierce  the  thick  foliage,  and  even 
when  the  day  is  quite  warm  you  need  a  liberal  supply  of 
wraps  to  make  the  di-ive  to  the  Pyramids  a  comfortable 
one. 

Perhaps  you  know  that  there  are  about  thirty-eight  or 
forty  of  the  pryamids  of  Ancient  Egypt  still  standing. 
They  extend  over  about  a  degree  of  latitude,  and  are  sit- 
uated on  the  western  side  of  the  river,  just  on  the  edge  of 
the  Libyan  Hills.  They,  therefore,  overlook  the  sandy 
wastes  of  the  desert  on  one  side  and  the  green  valley  of 
the  Nile  on  the  other ;  and  during  the  inundation  the 
water  of  the  river  comes  up  very  near  to  the  base  of  the 
great  pyramid.  When  we  went  most  of  it  had  disap- 
peared, and  the  people  were  busy  sowing  grain  on  the 
mud.  Two  or  three  miles  before  we  reached  the  place 
Arab  boys  began  to  troop  after  us,  regarding  us  as  legiti- 
mate objects  of  boot}'.  They  take  it  for  granted  that  all 
travelers  have  plenty  of  money,  and  if  you  have  not 
some  skill  in  dismissing  them  you  will  have  the  identical 
dozen  at  your  elbow  from  the  time  you  step  out  of  the  car- 
riage until  you  enter  it  again.  One  boy  had  a  kooleie  of 
water — the  native  mud  bottle — and  he  assured  us  we 
shouldn't  be  thirsty  all  day.  Another  one,  who  could 
speak  a  little  broken  English,  would  see  that  we  were 
understood  and  attended  to,  &c.  Our  driver  whipped  his 
horses  most  unmercifully  in  the  effort  to  escape  the  boys, 
but  let  him  go  as  fast  as  he  would  there  they  were  beside 
the  wheels  and  there  they  stayed.     There  was  no  sensible 


154       '  lifp:  and  letters  of 

ascent  in  the  drive  until  about  an  eighth  of  a  mile  from 
the  base.  There  the  hills  begin  rather  suddenly,  and 
there  the  patience  and  long-suffering  of  our  horses  quite 
failed  them,  and  not  a  step  further  would  they  go  until  we 
all  got  out  and  walked  on  before  them.  Then,  by  dint  of 
a  very  liberal  allowance  of  the  whip,  they  consented  to 
take  our  lunch  up  to  the  top  of  the  hill. 

As  you  approach  the  pyramids,  you  are  surprised  that 
they  do  not  seem  to  grow  larger.  You  have  heard  so 
much  of  their  magnitude  that  you  feel  disappointed  until 
you  get  almost  up  the  hill,  then  you  make  a  great  effort  to 
get  control  of  all  your  emotions  in  the  presence  of  such  a 
monster  as  the  great  one  is  when  you  come  up  to  its  base 
and  run  your  eye  up  its  ragged  sides  away  to  the  flagstaff 
on  the  lofty  summit.  If  you  accept  the  commonly  re- 
ceived opinion  that  this  vast  pile  of  stone  was  built  for  the 
sole  purpose  of  affording  a  distinguished  place  of  inter- 
ment for  a  haughty  heathen  monarch,  you  will  look  at 
the  immense  stones  of  which  it  is  built,  and  think  with  a 
sigh  of  the  ten  thousand  poor  suffering  Egyptians  who 
toiled  here  for  tldrty  years,  in  summer's  heat  and  winter's 
cold,  to  gratify  the  pride  and  ambition  of  one  single  man. 
But  if  you  are  a  believer  in  the  more  recent  theory  that 
the  Great  Pyramid  is  a  pre-historic  monument  of  an  emi- 
nently grand  and  pure  conception,  which  though  in  Egypt 
is  yet  not  of  Egypt,  and  whose  true  and  full  explanation  is 
yet  to  come,  then  you  will  run  your  eye  over  the  long  rows 
of  stones  in  the  lengthy  sides,  you  will  let  it  travel  slowly 
up  the  dizzy  height  from  base  to  summit,  and  from  sum- 
mit to  base  again,  until  the  one  grand  whole  fixes  itself 
in  your  brain  forever.  Then  you  will  long  to  know  what 
the  great  purpose  of  its  construction  was,  and  where  in  all 
its  vast  interior  is  the  hidden  chamber  which  holds  ita 
hoary  secret. 


MRS.    MARY    GALLOWAY    (ilFFKX.  l-^^ 

But,  if  you  wish  to  moralize  or  philosophize  to  auy  con- 
siderable extent,  you   will  have  to  do  it  somewhere  else 
than  on  the  pyramid  hill.     It  always  .nmrms  with  what  are 
known  the  world   over  as   Pyramid  Arabs.     That   is,  it  is 
considered  the  legitimate  calling  and  occu})ation   of  the 
inhabitants  of  the  village  of  Geezeh  to  assist  travelers  or 
visitors  to  the  top  of  the  pyramid,  and  in  the  meantime  to 
extract  from  them  buksheesh  on  every  possible  pretext 
which  Arab  ingenuity  can  invent.     Mark  Twain  says  they 
clamored  buksheesh  for  allowing  him  to  get  out  of  his 
carriage,  buksheesh  for  handing  him  his  overcoat,  buk- 
sheesh for  permitting  him  to  put  on  his  gloves,  buksheesli 
for  allowing  him  to  take  a  drink  of  water,  buksheesh  for 
eating  his  lunch,  and  buksheesh  for  getting  into  his  car- 
riage.    And  the  story  is  perhaps  not  greatly  exaggerated. 
These  Arabs  have  wonderful   memories,  and  rarely  forget 
a  face  they  have  once  seen.     They  said  I  was  the  only  one 
of  the  party  who  had  never  been  there,  which  was  true. 
Mr.  A.  had  made  the  ascent  in  the  spring  and  they  remem- 
bered him,  though  thousands  of  travelers  from  all  over 
the  world  go  there  every  winter.     They  recognized  Miss 
Johnson  as  a  resident  of  Cairo  and    a  member  of  the 
American  Mission,  and  consequently  they  conducted  them- 
selves very  properly. 

I  must  confess  I  felt  rather  appalled  at  the  idea  of  climb- 
ing to  the  top  of  such  a  ragged  mass  of  stones,  but  I  had 
come  for  that  purpose,  and  was  determined  not  to  let  my 
heart  fail  me.  Only  Miss  J.  and  myself  were  to  go  up. 
So  we  got  into  the  carriage  and  took  a  nice  lunch  in  the 
way  of  fortifying  ourselves  for  the  undertaking.  Mean- 
time Mr.  A.  selected  three  Arabs  for  each  of  us,  made  a 
bargain  with  the  sheik  that  we  were  to  pay  one  dollar  for 
the  ascent  and  two  francs  for  the  interior,  and  nobody  was 


156  LIFE   AND   LETTERS   OP 

to  even  whisper  buksheesh.  They  agreed,  and  we  went 
round  to  the  entrance,  and  went  up  fifteen  or  twenty  feet 
of  rubbish.  When  we  came  to  the  stones,  one  of  the 
Arabs  gathered  up  our  dresses  and  made  them  into  a  mys- 
terious knot  behind,  so  that  we  should  be  in  no  danger  of 
stepping  on  them.  Two  precede  you,  and  you  give  each  a 
hand,  and  one  follows  and  partly  lifts  you  where  the  layers 
are  very  high.  Sometimes  from  one  step  to  another  is  five 
feet,  and  that,  of  course,  is  difficult  climbing,  but  much  of 
the  way  the  stones  are  so  worn  and  broken  that  you  can 
stick  your  foot  into  crevices  and  climb  with  comparatively 
ease  without  much  assistance  from  the  third  man.  At 
short  distances  we  stopped,  rested,  and  enjoyed  the  beauti- 
tiful  views  spread  out  around  us.  Much  of  the  drive  from 
Cairo  could  be  traced  by  the  trees,  and  the  city  with  its 
mosques  and  minarets  stood  out  boldly  against  the  Arabian 
hills  in  the  back  ground.  The  river,  canals,  and  many 
small  lakes  yet  remaining  from  the  inundation,  broke  the 
monotony  of  the  great  level  plain,  and  looked  as  blue  as 
the  blue  sky  above  us.  It  was  desert  air  we  were  breath- 
ing, and  this,  or  something  else,  infused  into  my  whole  be- 
ing such  a  feeling  of  exhilaration  and  keen  enjoyment  as 
I  never  knew  before.  I  felt  no  fatigue  nor  any  sense  of 
fear,  and  I  could  have  walked  all  round  any  one  of  the 
layers  without  the  least  approach  of  giddiness. 

We  were  at  the  summit  before  I  had  thought  of  our  hav- 
ing accomplished  more  than  two-thirds  of  the  distance,  and 
instantly  one  of  my  Arabs  almost  convulsed  me  with  a 
comic  bow,  and  a  still  more  comic  salutation  of  "  hoiv  do 
you  feel  nowf"  in  broken  English.  It  wasn't  comically 
meant ;  he  merely  Avished  to  inquire  with  an  imitation  of 
French  gallantry  if  I  was  weary,  but  his  slow-labored 
enunciation  sounded  so  like  the  questions  which  are  often 


MRS.    MARY   GALLOWAY   GIFFEX.  157 

addressed  to  "  sick  people,"  tliat  the  contrast  between  a 
sick  bed  and  my  own  feelings  at  the  moment  was  almost 
too  nuioh  for  me. 

The  level  space  on  which  we  found  ourselves  at  the  top 
is  about  thirty  feet  square,  that  is,  that  much  of  the  apex 
of  the  pyramid  was  torn  down  when  the  casing  stones  were 
removed  by  the  Caliphs.  Some  of  the  loose  stones  yet  re- 
main and  serve  for  seats.  Their  sides  and  the  whole  sur- 
face of  the  platform  are  covered  with  the  autographs  of 
ambitious  travelers,  and  prominent  among  them  is  that  of 
the  Prince  of  AVales.  However,  I  do  not  suppose  he  put 
his  name  there  himself.  We  didn't  leave  ours,  under  the 
impression  that  future  visitors  would  be  able  to  survive 
the  omission.  We  simply  walked  round  and  looked  down 
all  the  sides.  Oh  !  what  an  immense  pile  it  seemed.  Only 
think  of  thirteen  acres  of  stones  towering  up  to  a  point  at 
the  distance  of  four  hundred  and  seventy  feet  and  your- 
self standing  away  up  on  that  point.  If  you  never  felt 
humble  before,  you  certainly  will  now,  and  if  you  should 
never  feel  insignificant  again,  you  will  get  an  experience 
here  which  a  lifetime  will  scarcely  efface.  I  can  imagine 
the  awe  which  Niagara  inspires,  the  wonderful  impression 
of  force,  power  and  motion  which  might  almost  overpower 
one  when  looking  upon  its  leaping  waters  and  listening  to 
its  deafening  roar.  But  the  great  pyi-amid  is  something 
different  in  the  impression  it  leaves  from  anything  I  ever 
saw  before.  There  it  has  stood  since  before  the  time  of 
Abraham,  and  there  it  is  likely  to  stand  until  the  end  of 
time.  It  seems  a  magnificent  monument  of  silent  endur- 
ance. The  Coliseum  is  vast  and  impressive,  but  it  is  a  ruin, 
and  the  light  of  day  shines  through  every  rent  and  chasm. 
All  is  known,  the  people  who  built  it  and  those  who  en- 
joyed it.     But  on  the  pyramid  hill  there  is  a  silence  like 


158  LIFE   AND    LETTERS   OF 

that  of  death,  a  stilhiess  like  that  of  the  "everlasting 
hills,"  an  incomprehensible,  undefinable  something,  Avhich 
makes  you  feel  like  subduing  the  laugh  on  your  lips.  You 
do  not  feel  that  you  are  in  the  j)resence  of  simple  matter, 
matter  which  will  some  day  return  to  its  original  dust.  I, 
at  least,  felt  myself  in  the  presence  of  mind,  of  mind  in 
sympathy  and  conmiunion  with  God,  of  mind  which  knew 
the  secrets  of  the  world. 

But  I  will  stop,  lest  you  write  me  down  a  heretic.  If 
you  are  not  acquainted  with  the  new  theories  about  the 
great  pyramid,  you  will  not  sympathize  very  deeply  in  the 
sensations  I  experienced.  Next  week,  perhaps,  I  will  give 
you  some  account  of  the  Piazzi  Hmyth  doctrines,  and  you 
can  then  judge  for  yourself  if  it  is  probable  that  this  im- 
mense structure  was  designed  simply  for  the  grave  of  one 
man. 

We  were  almost  ready  to  begin  the  descent  before  it  oc- 
curred to  me  that  there  was  a  Sphinx  down  in  the  sand 
beneath  us.  I  am  afraid  Prof.  K.  is  horror-stricken  ;  but 
it  is  a  faci,  and  when  I  did  look  it  was  principally  for  his 
sake.  From  our  lofty  position  it  seemed  almost  nothing, 
and  when  we  came  down  and  went  to  it,  there  was  posi- 
tively nothing  to  excite  enthusiasm.  It  is  a  big  head  sim- 
ply, Avith  a  face  and  expression  just  like  many  of  the 
purely  native  Egyptians.  There  was  just  one  other  point 
of  interest — that  the  huge  mouth  wore  a  plea,sant  expres- 
sion. It  is  of  later  times  than  the  Great  Pyramid — Bruchs 
Bey  and  his  new  hieroglyphical  stone,  which  is  to  be  at  the 
Centennial,  to  the  contrary — and  moreover  it  belongs  to 
the  old  idolatrous  religion.  Nothing  except  the  top  of  the 
lion  back  is  visible  now,  so  that  there  is  really  nothing  but 
the  complacent  old  face,  always  smiling  on  those  drifting 
.«ands  to  impress  one. 


MRS.    MARY   GALLOWAY   GIFPEN.  159 

We  all  went  inside  the  pyramid,  had  the  chaiiibers  and 
passages  illuminated  with  magnesium  wire,  and  saw  pretty 
well  all  that  was  to  be  seen.  But  I  will  tell  you  about  that 
again.  We  came  out,  took  another  lunch,  paid  off'  our 
Arabs,  and  drove  into  the  city  just  at  sunset.  It  was  a  very, 
very  pleasant  day,  and  I  came  back  less  fatigued  than  I 
have  often  felt  from  a  lono-  walk." 


CHAPTER  XV. 

PYRAMIDS — CONTINUED. 

"  About  forty  years  ago  an  Englishman  by  the  name  of 
Taylor  became  interested  in  the  subject  of  the  Great 
Pyramid  and  began  the  close  study  of  all  the  scientific 
measurements  made  upon  it.  He  arrived  at  some  rather 
startling  conclusions,  but  died  ^vithout  ever  seeing  the 
pyramid.  His  views  however  were  taken  up  and  adopted 
by  several  distinguished  men.  Prominent  among  them  is 
the  Astronomer  Royal  of  Scotland,  Piazzi  Smyth,  who 
came  and  lived  for  months  on  the  pyramid  hill  in  order  to 
have  every  opportunity  for  testing  the  great  problem. 

The  commonly  received  opinion  that  this  pyramid  was 
designed  as  a  magnificent  monument  and  burial  place  for 
the  king  who  built  it,  is  supposed  to  have  grown  out  of  the 
fact  that  a  stone  coffer  of  about  the  usual  size  for  receiving 
a  mummy  case  was  found  in  the  interior  when  the  Caliph 
Al  Mamoon  forced  an  entrance  into  it,  coupled  with  the 
fact  that  all  the  other  thirty-seven  or  thirty-eight  were 
known  to  have  been  constructed  for  sepulchral  purposes. 


160  LIFE   AND   LETTERS  OP 

They  all  abound  in  the  pictorial  and  hieroglyphical  repre- 
sentations ^Yhich  were  part  and  parcel  of  the  ancient  re- 
ligion of  Egypt,  and  therefore  proclaim  themselves  the 
products  of  heathen  builders.  But  in  the  Great  Pyramid 
there  is  not  a  vestige  of  heathenism,  nor  the  most  distant 
allusion  to  the  Avorship  of  the  sun,  moon,  or  any  of  the 
starry  host  of  heaven.  Manetho  and  Herodotus  aifirm 
that  it  was  built  by  a  power  which  was  "  an  abomination 
to  the  Egyptians,"  but  which  they  implicitly  obeyed,  work- 
ing however  under  such  compulsion  and  constraint  as  com- 
pelled them  to  refrain  from  putting  any  of  their  accus- 
tomed decorations  on  the  finished  building,  or  in  any  way 
identifying  it  with  their  impure  and  hieratic  form  of  wor- 
ship. And  when  the  power  was  relaxed,  though  they  hated 
its  name  so  as  to  forbear  even  mentioning  it,  yet  with  in- 
voluntary bending  to  superior  intelligence  they  began  im- 
itating, as  well  as  they  could,  its  more  ordinary  mechanical 
features. 

Taylor  decided  in  his  own  mind  that  what  was  hateful  to 
the  Egyptians  could  not  have  been  in  itself  bad,  must  on 
the  contrary  have  been  good,  or  at  all  events  that  the 
builders  were  of  a  different  religious  faith.  Combining  this 
with  certain  historical  facts,  and  with  the  numerous  and 
peculiar  symbol izations  of  both  exterior  and  interior,  he 
declared  his  belief  that  its  builders  were  of  the  chosen  race, 
in  the  line  of,  but  preceding,  Abraham,  and  that  he  had 
discovered  in  the  arrangements  and  measurements  of  the 
Great  Pyramid  scientific  results  in  the  shape  of  numerical 
knowledge  of  grand  cosmical  phenomena,  both  of  earth 
and  heavens,  far  above  the  scientific  attainments  of  any 
ancient  Gentile  nation,  and  essentially  above  even  that  of 
our  own  time. 

By  removing  all  the  debris  from  the  northern  face  of 
the  pyramid  an  almost  exact  measurement  of  its  original 


MRS.    MARY   GALLOWAY    GIFFEN.  161 

base  was  obtained.  There,  too,  were  found  tn^o  of  the 
original  casing  stones,  five  feet  high,  eight  feet  wide  and 
twelve  feet  long,  yet  in  position,  with  their  edges  beveled 
and  joined  in  a  cemented  seam  of  no  greater  thickness  than 
tissue  paper.  These  enabled  Colonel  Vyse  and  his  engi- 
neers to  contrast  angular  with  linear  measure,  and  thus  to 
arrive  at  the  exact  original  height.  Consequently  they 
were  able  to  verify  Taylor's  first  proposition,  that  the  height 
of  the  Great  Pyramid  is  to  twice  the  breadth  of  its  base  as  the 
diameter  to  the  circumference  of  a  circle ;  or  that  the  area 
of  a  right  section  is  to  the  area  of  the  base  as  one  to 
3.141594  ;  or  stating  it  differently,  that  the  vertical  height 
of  the  Great  Pyramid  is  the  radius  of  a  theoretical  circle 
the  curved  length  of  whose  circumference  is  equal  to  the 
sum  of  the  lengths  of  the  four  straight  sides  of  the  actual 
base. 

This  of  course  is  the  celebrated  practical  problem  of 
mediaeval  and  modern  Europe — "  the  squaring  of  the  cir- 
cle "  and  its  solution  in  this  great  building  must  have  been 
the  result  either  of  marvellous  accident  or  of  deep  wisdom 
thousands  of  years  in  advance  of  its  own  time — wisdom 
however  which  did  not  address  itself  to  its  contemporaries, 
but  left  it  for  distant  posterity. 

Second,  Taylor  claimed  that  owing  to  the  comjolicated 
fractions  arising  fr(.Hn  assuming  the  British  foot  or  the 
Egyptian  cubit  of  20.7  inches  as  the  standard  of  linear 
measure  used  in  constructing  the  pyramid,  that  some  other 
unit  must  have  been  used.  Accordingly  after  various 
tests  he  found  that  the  base  lengths  of  each  side — which 
is  about  seven  hundred  and  sixty-three  feet — when  divided 
by  the  one  ten-millionth  of  the  earth's  semi-axis  of  rota- 
tion, gives  the  length  of  our  solar  year,  or  conversely  if  the 
semi-axis  be  divided  by  the  number  expressing  the  solar 


162  LIFE   AND    LETTERS    OF 

year,  the  result  is  the  one  ten-millionth  of  the  semi-axis, 
or  close  upon  tAventy-five  British  inches.  This  measure 
Taylor,  Smyth,  and  others  call  the  "  sacred  cubit,"  or  the 
cul)it  of  the  Bible,  in  contradistinction  to  that  of  the 
Egyptians  and  Babylonians.  The  unit  of  this  measure, 
one  inch,  is  the  one  ten-thousandth  part,  or  half  a  hair's 
breadth  less  than  the  British  inch,  and  the  whole  measure 
Avith  its  multiple  of  five  is  a  dominant  number  all  through 
the  building.  The  French  metre  you  know  was  obtained 
by  taking  the  one  ten-millionth  of  a  quadrant  of  the  earth's 
surface ;  but  late  progress  in  Geodesy  has  shown  that  the 
earth's  equator  is  not  a  circle  but  an  irregular,  curvilinear 
figure  of  as  many  different  lengths  as  there  are  ineridians 
of  longitude.  Consequently  after  Taylor  made  known  his 
theory  of  the  origin  of  the  sacred  cubit,  vSir  John  Herschel 
said :  "  So  long  as  the  human  mind  continues  human,  and 
retains  a  power  of  geometry,  so  long  will  the  diameter  be 
thought  of  more  importance  than  the  circumference  of  a 
circle."  Here,  then,  according  to  pyramid  theorists,  is  a 
standard  of  linear  measure  for  the  whole  world  infinitely 
superior  to  the  French  metre  with  its  false  basis  and  its 
adoption  by  a  nation  which  declared  there  was  no  God, 
and  which  even  counted  its  Sabbaths  in  decimals. 

I  have  said  above  that  the  circle  typified  by  the  base 
of  the  great  pyramid  was  claimed  to  symbolize  the  solar 
year,  or  the  annual  revolution  of  the  earth  around  the  sun, 
and  the  radius  of  that  circle  the  ancient  height  of  the 
pyramid,  would  then  represent  the  semi-diameter  of  the 
earth's  orbit,  or  the  radius  of  the  earth's  mean  orbit.  Conse- 
quently, if  these  assumptions  can  be  proved,  it  will  be  no  dif- 
tieult  matter  to  arrive  at  the  solution  of  the  great  problem 
\\  liich  so  stirred  the  scientific  world  last  year  on  the  occa- 
sion of  the  "  transit  of  Venus" — the  question  of  the  dis- 


MRS.    MARY   GALLOWAY    GIFFEN.  163 

tance  of  the  sun  from  the  earth.  During  the  last  half 
century  this  has  been  held  to  be  95,000,000  miles  ;  and 
our  theorists  felt  sure  that  this  number  would  result  from 
a  calculation  based  on  the  5,813  pyramid  inches  of  the 
pyramid's  height ;  but  when  the  computation  was  com- 
pleted, to  their  amazement,  it  turned  out  91,840,000  in- 
stead of  95,000,000.  But  in  a  year  or  two  this  latter 
quantity  was  strongly  called  in  question  by  even  the  best 
astronomers  of  the  day,  one  group  affirming  it  to  be  from 
ninety -one  to  ninety -one  and  a-half  million  miles,  and 
another  that  it  was  from  ninety-two  to  ninety-two  and 
a-half  million  miles.  So  Smyth  and  his  disciples  took 
heart  again  and  concluded  that  theirs  was  the  true  mean — 
the  golden  medium,  and  are  waiting  with  great  anxiety  to 
hear  the  summing  up  from  the  observations  of  last  year 
on  the  "  transit  of  Venus."  * 

When  Napoleon's  Parisian  savants  were  in  Egypt  they 
made  many  measurements  and  observations  on  the  Pyra- 
mid. The  result  which  surprised  them  most  was  that  its 
sides  were  oriented,  that  is,  it  is  placed  with  its  sides  facing 
astronomically  due  north,  south,  east  and  west — lacking 
only  about  one  minute — a  proof  as  they  supposed  "  that 
the  azimuthal  direction  of  the  earth's  axis  had  not  sensi- 
bly altered  relatively  to  the  great  Pyramid's  base  during 
probably  4,000  years."  These  savants  also  used  the  apex 
of  the  pyramid  as  the  zero  meridian  of  longitude  for  all 
Egypt,  and  this  they  did  from  regard  to  its  peculiar  posi- 
tion. Afterwards  Henry  Mitchell,  of  the  United  States 
Coast  Survey,  in  reporting  upon  the  Suez  canal  in  1868, 
was  greatly  struck  with  the  regularity  of  curvature  along 
the  whole  of  Egypt's  northern   coast.     It  seemed   to  him 

*The  distance  from  the  earth  to  sun  is  now  estimated  at  92,500,- 
000  miles. 


164  LIFE   AND    LETTEES    OF 

to  have  been  developed  in  successive  curves,  all  struck  one 
after  another  from  a  central  point  of  physical  organiza- 
tion ;  and  then  after  long  and  careful  search  he  thought 
he  found  this  center  in  the  great  pyramid,  and  decided  in 
his  own  mind  that  "  this  monument  stands  in  a  more  im- 
portant position  than  any  other  building  yet  erected  by 
man."  It  stands  on  the  very  cliff  of  the  Geezeh  Hill,  so 
close  that  the  edges  might  have  broken  off  under  the  im- 
mense pressure  had  not  the  builders  banked  up  there  the 
immense  mounds  of  rubbish  which  came  from  their  work, 
and  which  Strabo  searched  so  carefully  for,  without  find- 
ing them,  1,800  years  ago.  The  pyramid  thus  occupies 
the  position  of  the  handle  of  a  fan — the  delta  being  the 
fan,  or,  to  express  it  differently,  the  pyramid  is  the  apex 
of  a  triangle  whose  base  is  the  northern  coast  of  Egypt. 
Besides,  if  you  proceed  along  the  globe  due  north  and 
south  from  the  great  pyramid  there  will  be  found  to  be 
more  earth  and  less  sea  in  that  meridian  than  in  any 
other  all  the  world  round,  causing  it  to  be  essentially 
marked  by  nature  as  a, prime  meridian  for  all  nations. 
And  the  same  is  true  of  the  pyramid's  parallel  of  30°.  It 
contains  more  land  surface  than  any  other.  Finally  sum- 
ming up  all  the  dry  land  habitable  by  man,  the  wide  world 
over,  the  center  of  the  whole  falls  within  the  great  pyra- 
mid's territory  of  Lower  Egypt. 

These,  then,  according  to  Taylor  and  others,  are  the 
symbolizations  of  the  exterior  of  this  wonderful  structure : 

First,  That  it  gives  the  long  sought  quantity,  so  neces- 
sary in  all  mechanics  known  to  mathematicians  by  the 
Greek  character  jj. 

Second,  That  it  furnishes  a  standard  of  linear  measure 
from  the  unit  of  Avhich  the  British  inch  was  without 
BQUch  doubt  originally  taken,  and  which  has  many  claims 
to  superiority  oyer  the  French  standard. 


MRS.    MARY   GALLOWAY   GIFFEN.  165 

Third,  that  it  furnishes  the  true  diameter  and  circum- 
ference of  the  earth's  orbit,  and  also  the  true  distance 
from  the  sun. 

Fourth,  That  the  azimuth  of  the  earth's  axis  has  not 
sensibly  altered  in  4,000  years. 

Fifth,  That  it  gives  the  best  meridian  of  longitude  for 
the  whole  world. 

And  sixth,  That  it  stands  in  the  center  of  the  land  sur- 
face of  the  earth. 

Perhaps  you  may  not  feel  inclined  to  accept  any  of 
these  deductions,  but  I  think  you  must  allow  that  they  are 
at  least  remarkable,  and  some  of  them  very  interesting. 
At  any  rate,  after  having  heard  them  once  fully  stated,  I 
think  one  must  be  either  very  credulous  or  very  incredu- 
lous, if  he  can  hold  on  to  the  old  theory  that  the  wonder- 
ful mechanical  skill,  and  the  many  and  strong  evidences 
of  design  everywhere  manifest  in  this  vast  structure,  were 
only  intended  to  furnish  a  safe  place  of  burial  for  a  body 
which  never  came  into  it. 

But  the  theory  is  mainly  Iniilt  upon  the  interior,  of 
which  I  will  write  you  again.  There  is  another  point,  too, 
which  perhaps  I  should  mention.  It  is  that  these  mathe- 
matical quantities  and  symbolizations  are  not  found  in  any 
other  of  the  thirty-eight  or  forty  pyramids  of  Lower 
Egypt,  which  have  been  measured  and  tested.  Every  one 
of  them  errs  in  angle,  size  and  position,  being  all  little 
else  than  crumbling  monuments  of  idolatry. 

The  ancients  knew  nothing  of  the  interior  of  the  Great 
Pyramid,  except  that  like  all  the  others  it  contained  a  de- 
scending narrow  passage  with  a  chamber  at  the  bottom, 
and  a  tradition  that  somewhere  within  it  there  was  a  vast 
store  of  hidden  treasure.  Externally  it  was  complete  in 
its  casing  sheet  of  beveled  limestone,  and  when  in  820  Al 


166  LIFE   AXD    LETTERS   OF 

Mamoon  determined  to  penetrate  the  secret,  if  secret  there 
was,  tradition  could  only  dimly  dii*ect  him  to  the  northern 
face,  and  as  the  builders  must  have  foreseen,  he  began  in 
the  center.  But  it  was  hard  work  quarrying  into  stone 
almost  as  solid  as  the  hill  on  which  it  was  founded.  The 
workmen  gave  u])  in  despair,  declaring  the  thing  impossi- 
ble, but  the  Caliph  affirmed  that  it  should  certainly  be 
done.  So  after  months  of  toilsome  exertion  they  had  pene- 
trated one  hundred  feet  from  the  entrance,  and  one  day 
they  were  rewarded  by  hearing  a  stone  fall  in  some  hollow 
place,  within  a  few  feet  of  them.  They  pushed  on  then 
in  the  direction  of  the  noise,  hammers,  fire  and  vinegar 
being  used  until  they  broke  into  the  hollow  passage  way, 
through  which  the  Romans  of  old  had  penetrated  to  the 
subterranean  chamber.  But  now  another  secret  W'as  ex- 
posed. A  large  angular  fitting  stone,  that  had  made  for 
ages  a  portion  of  the  ceiling  of  the  narrow  j^assage,  had 
dropped  on  the  floor,  revealing  that  there  was  another 
passage  clearly  ascending  towards  the  south,  out  of  this 
descending  one,  the  entrance  to  which  had  perhaps  been 
known  to  the  Romans.  The  ascending  passage  was  hoAv- 
ever  still  closed  by  a  series  of  granite  plugs,  slided  down 
from  above.  To  remove  these  was  impossible  with  the 
rude  tools  of  that  day,  and  so  the  Moslem  crew  dug  round 
and  above  it  in  the  softer  limestone,  and  opened  the  way 
from  above.  They  found  the  passage  ascending  at  an  angle 
of  twenty-six  degrees  for  one  hundred  and  ten  feet,  but 
only  forty-seven  inches  in  height  and  forty-one  in  breadth. 
Suddenly  they  emerged  into  a  long  tall  gallery,  seven 
times  the  height  of  the  passage,  and  one  hundred  and  fifty 
_feet  long.  Just  on  the  right  hand  of  the  entrance  was  the 
mouth  of  a  dark  well,  one  hundred  and  forty  feet  in 
depth,  leading  into  the  descending  passage  near  the  sub- 


MRS.    MARY   GALLOWAY   GIFFEN.      j  1G7 

terranean  chamber.  This  grand  gallery,  nowhere  more 
than  six  feet  wide  and  contracted  towards  the  top,  was  also 
of  polished  marble-like  stone  throughont.  At  the  top  of 
the  slippery  plane  they  found  another  narrow  passage,  very 
like  the  one  which  had  admitted  them  into  the  grand  gal- 
lery, and  creeping  through  this  they  found  themselves  at 
once  in  the  grand  chamber  which  forms  the  conclusion  of 
the  Great  Pyramid's  interior.  This  apartment  is  thirty- 
four  feet  long,  seventeen  broad  and  nineteen  high,  and  is  of 
polished  red  granite,  floor,  walls  and  ceiling,  in  squared 
blocks  so  skillfully  put  together  that  the  seams  are  barely 
discernible. 

But  where  was  the  treasure  ?  Al  Mamoon  was  amazed. 
Not  a  single  dirham  was  there  anywhere,  only  an  empty 
stone  chest  wWiout  a  lid. 

Ages  went  by,  and  finally  Europeans  began  to  visit  the 
pyramids  and  to  w'ondcr  what  could  have  been  the  purpose 
of  that  stone  chest.  Gradually  the  notion  grew  that  it 
might  have  been  a  sarcophagus,  that  it  was  a  sarcophagus, 
then  that  it  was  intended  for  the  Pharaoh  of  Red  Sea  flime, 
who  had  not  the  opportunity  of  being  deposited  in  his  own 
tomb.  But  it  came  to  light  finally  that  the  pyramid  was 
not  only  built,  but  had  been  sealed  up  long  before  even  the 
birth  of  Pharaoh.  Then  some  one  wrote  that  it  was  King 
Cheops,  or  Chemmis  or  Shufo,  who  w'as  buried  there,  but 
his  body  was  removed.  But  this  theory  also  falling  to  the 
ground,  the  world  settled  down  into  the  belief  that  some- 
body must  have  been  buried  there.  Strange  to  say,  how- 
ever, in  1837  Colonel  Vyse  discovered  "  air  channels " 
leading  through  the  solid  masonry  to  the  outside  air,  evi- 
dently intending  that  it  should  be  ventilated  in  the  most 
admirable  manner.  There  is  also  another  unfinished  cham- 
ber, also  ventilated  in  the  same  Avay,  except  that  there  was 

G 


168  LIFE   AND   LETTERS   OF 

a  small  crust  of  stone  to  be  broken  through  to  open  them — 
Dr.  Grant,  the  mission  physician  in  Cairo,  making  the  dis- 
covery only  two  years  ago. 

Finally  the  Englishman  Taylor  came  out  with  his  theory, 
"  that  the  coffer  in  the  King's  chamber  was  intended  to  be 
a  standard  measure  of  capacity  and  weight  for  all  nations, 
and  that  certain  nations  did  originally  receive  their  weights 
and  measures  from  thence."  For  instance,  the  British 
farmer  measures  his  Avheat  in  quarters,  but  quarters  of 
what  ?  He  does  not  know  ;  he  simply  calls  it  a  quarter. 
So,  in  pity  for  his  ignorance,  Taylor  comes  to  his  help  and 
tells  him  it  is  quarters  of  the  contents  of  the  stone  coffer  in 
the  King's  chamber.  Accordingly,  Vyse  and  Smith  made 
the  most  accurate  measurements  of  the  cubical  contents  of 
the  coffer  and  found  the  agreement  between  the  British 
quarters  and  a  fourth  part  of  the  contents  of  the  coffer  as 
17,746:  17,801. 

Great  emphasis,  too,  is  laid,  as  I  said,  on  the  dominance 
of  the  number  five.  The  casing  stones  were  five  feet  thick, 
there  is  a  marked  division  into  five  of  the  ceiling  of  the 
ante-chamber  under  which  you  must  bow  your  head  before 
entering  the  last  narrow  passage  into  the  King's  chamber, 
and  the  ceiling  stones  of  this  chamber  are  in  five  and  a 
half  They  are  of  all  lengths,  but  exactly  of  the  same 
height,  and  five  of  them  reach  from  the  bottom  to  the  top. 
Yet  for  some  mysterious  reason  the  lower  row  extends  just 
five  inches  below  the  surface  of  the  floor.  The  Avhole  num- 
ber of  stones  in  the  entire  chamber  is  just  one  hundred. 
Also  the  courses  of  masonry  of  which  the  pyramid  is  com- 
posed are  not  of  the  same  height,  but  whatever  height  or 
thickness  of  stones  any  one  course  is  begun  with,  it  is  kept 
on  at  that  thickness  precisely,  right  through  the  whole  ex- 
tent of  the  course,  although  the  area  may  there  amount  to 


MRS.    MARY    GALLOWAY   GIFFEN.  169 

acres.  And  ou  reaching  in  this  manner  the  fiftieth  course 
of  stones,  you  have  the  level  of  the  floor  of  the  King's 
chamber,  on  which  rests  the  stone  coffer,  a  vessel  with  com- 
mensurable capacity  proportions  between  its  interior  and 
exterior,  and  between  the  walls  and  floor  in  a  room  with 
five  courses,  composed  of  one  hundred  stones,  and  with  a 
capacity  proportion  of  fifty  to  the  fifth  of  these  courges.  Bays 
Smith,  "  the  dullest  person  in  existence  could  hardly  fail  to 
see  that  this  chamber  should  have  been  called  the  chamber 
of  the  standard  of  fifty."  So  let  me  whisper  that  he  who 
does  not  see  it  in  this  light  lays  himself  liable  to  an  impu- 
tation. 

This  chamber  furthermore  is  claimed  to  be  the  most 
suitable  place  in  the  known  world  for  making  those  expe- 
riments which  determine  the  density  of  the  earth — one  of 
the  most  puzzling  of  astronomical  problems.  Air  tight 
rooms  closed  in  with  glass  have  been  used  in  England 
where  the  experimenter  had  to  remain  outside.  In  Pulkova, 
near  St.  Petersburg,  these  experiments  are  performed  in 
subterranean  chambers,  and  in  Paris  the  most  perfect  pen- 
dulum in  the  world  is  kept  going  in  a  subterranean  cham- 
ber known  as  "  the  caves,"  ninety-five  feet  below  the  sur- 
face, in  order  to  secure  such  a  uniformity  of  temperature 
as  shall  prevent  any  variation  in  the  apparatus.  But  still 
perfection  has  never  yet  been  reached.  It  would  be,  how- 
ever. Smith  affirms,  if  scientists  would  only  come  to  the 
great  meteorological  center  of  the  Avorld — the  King's 
Chamber  of  the  Great  Pyramid,  which  is  everywhere 
shielded  from  summer's  heat  and  winter's  cold  by  one 
hundred  and  eighty  feet  of  solid  masonry !  He  declares 
there  never  has  been,  and  most  probably  never  will  be,  a 
scientific  observing  room  erected  by  any  nation  to  be  at  all 
compared  in  its  very  leading  requisite  with  this  remarkable 
chamber. 


170  LIFE   AND    LETTERS   OF 

But  to  go  back  to  the  deacending  passage.  The  entrance 
to  this  was,  of  course,  found  and  opened  after  Al  Mamoon 
had  forced  his  way  into  it  within  the  pyramid.  It  is 
twenty-four  feet  to  the  west  of  the  center  of  the  northern 
face,  and  is  forty-nine  feet  above  the  level  of  the  base. 
The  passage  is  of  the  same  dimensions  with  the  narrow  as- 
cending one,  and  also  descends  at  the  angle  of  twenty-six 
degrees.  It  extends  to  the  center  of  the  pyramid,  and  is, 
of  course,  almost  four  hundred  feet  long — the  chamber  into 
which  it  leads  being  situated  in  the  solid  rock  one  hundred 
feet  beloio  the  line  of  the  jiyramid's  base.  Just  before  enter- 
ing this  subterranean  chamber  you  j^ass  under  the  mouth 
of  the  dark  well  which  I  mentioned  as  leading  down 
from  the  northern  extremity  of  the  grand  gallery. 

From  the  bottom  of  this  descending  passage  the  light  of 
day  shining  in  at  the  entrance  is  just  as  if  you  saw  a  star 
through  a  long  telescope ;  and  this,  aside,  of  course  from 
furnishing  an  entrance,  is  supposed  to  be  the  design  of  this 
passage — to  furnish  a  telescope  tvith  a  fixed  degree  of  eleva- 
tion, bearing  upon  any  star  which  should  be,  at  the  time  of 
the  pyramid's  erection,  three  degrees  twenty-four  minutes 
from  the  Polar  point.  Sir  John  Herschel  declared  that 
within  the  last  five  thousand  years  only  one  notable  star 
had  been  at  the  required  distance,  namely,  a  (alpha)  of  the 
constellation  Draconis  ;  and  that  it  was  in  such  a  position 
2170  B.  C.  Hence  the  deduction  from  this  and  other  as- 
tronomical data  and  arguments  too  complicated  to  be  in- 
troduced here,  that  the  pyramid  was  built  at  this  date — 
2170  B.  C,  and  is  therefore  four  thousand  and  forty-six 
years  old. 

Pyramid  theorists  also  find  great  resemblance  between 
the  Ark  and  the  Tabernacle  of  the  wilderness  and  the 
Pyramid  and  its  stone  coffer.     The  cubical  contents  of  the 


MRS.    MARY    GALLOWAY    filFFEN.  171 

Ark,  Smyth  affirms,  to  be  almost  identically  those  of  the 
coffer  as  near  as  the  measure  of  the  former  can  be  approx- 
imated. It  was  also  a  lidless  box  of  the  same  shape  as  the 
coffer.  Great  prominence  was  also  given  in  the  taberna- 
cle to  weights  and  measures,  and  everywhere  it  was  the 
sacred  cubit  of  twenty-five  inches.  He  also  remarks  that 
the  Pentateuch  contains  five  books,  that  Pentecost  occurs 
fifty  days  after  the  Passover,  and  that  the  year  of  Jubilee 
was  every  fiftieth  one.  The  number  five,  says  Sir  Gard- 
ner Wilkinson,  "  was  an  abomination  to  the  ancient  Egyp- 
tians," and  is  "  the  evil  number  "  of  the  modern  ones,  and 
is  represented  by  a  cypher.  Particularly  galling,  there- 
fore, it  must  have  been  to  the  Egyptians  when  they  saw 
the  Israelites  go  up  out  of  Egypt  in  ranks  of  five,  for  so 
Smyth  says  the  word  "harnessed  "  should  be  translated. 

But  last  of  all  the  passages,  gallery  and  chambers  of  the 
Great  Pyramid  are  held  to  symbolize  tlie  Christian  religion. 
The  descending  passage  is  a  type  of  human  depravity,  ever 
gravitating  toward  that  final  abode  at  the  extremity  of  the 
descent.  But  from  this  ruined  condition,  this  facilis  de- 
scensus Averni  there  was  one  Exodus,  but  only  for  a  few, 
typified  by  the  ascending  passage  showing  Hebraism  end- 
ing its  original  prophetic  destination — Christianity.  But 
another  escape  is  possible  before  reaching  that  fearful 
abyss,  namely,  by  "  the  straight  and  narrow  way,"  typi- 
fied by  the  dark  and  narrow  well  leading  from  the  lower 
part  of  the  "descensus"  into  the  grand  gallery.  Giving 
an  inch  for  a  year,  and  measuring  backwards  from  the 
north  beginning  of  the  gallery,  the  exodus  is  found  either 
at  1483  or  1542  B.  C,  and  the  Dispersion  at  2528  B.  C, 
up  at  the  beginning  of  the  entrance  passage.  Then  going 
back  to  the  northern  entrance  of  the  grand  gallery,  typi- 
cal of  the  birth  of  Christ,  thirty-three  inches  bring  you 


172  LIFE   AND   LETTERS   OF 

opposite  the  mouth  of  the  well,  the  type  of  his  death  and 
resurrection. 

Some  time  after  all  these  measures  and  conjectures  were 
published,  Smyth  was  reminded  that  he  and  Herschel  had 
fixed  the  date  of  the  building,  or  completion  at  2170  B. 
C,  that  he  claimed  for  the  builder  divine  inspiration,  that 
if  that  were  the  case  the  builder  surely  knew  and  would 
have  marked  the  years  which  would  elapse  from  the  date 
of  the  Pyramid  until  the  birth  of  Christ.  And  he  was 
asked  to  find  some  mark  of  this  fact  in  the  passages  lead- 
ing backward  from  the  northern  entrance  of  the  grand 
gallery.  If  the  completion  of  the  building  really  occurred 
in  2170  B.  C,  this  date  would  fall  three  or  four  hundred 
inches  only  from  the  mouth  of  the  entrance.  Smyth  was 
then — 1873 — in  Scotland,  and  accordingly  he  wrote  to  Dr. 
Grant  and  Wymar  Dixon  to  make  a  careful  examination. 
They  did  so  and  at  the  very  spot  found  a  very  peculiar 
line  ruled  into  the  stone  on  each  side  of  the  passage.  They 
made  the  examination  without  knowing  for  what  purpose 
it  Avas  intended,  only  they  were  desired  to  be  very  exact. 
Herewith  the  cavilers  expressed  themselves  entirely  satis- 
fied, and  the  Astronomer  Royal,  of  Scotland,  went  on  his 
way  rejoicing. 

The  entrance  to  the  pyramid  is  some  distance  from  the 
outside  or  northern  face.  All  the  stones  around  it  are  of 
immense  size,  and  above  it  they  are  put  in  in  the  form  of 
an  arch.  It  is  rather  a  forbidding  prospect  to  go  creeping 
down  that  narrow  passage,  so  steep  that  you  have  the  great- 
est difficulty  to  keep  from  sliding  down  in  a  manner  nei- 
ther dignified  nor  comfortable. 

The  grand  gallery  was  a  wild,  beautiful  sight,  when 
illuminated  by  the  magnesium  wire,  only  it  was  such  a  diffi- 
cult matter  to  find  a  sure  enough  footing  to  enable  you  to 


MRS.    MARY   GALLOWAY   GIFFEN.  173 

look  at  it  in  any  comfort.  lu  the  king's  chamber  the 
Arabs  struck  the  coffer  with  their  hands  and  it  rang  like 
the  finest  bell  metal.  Then  one  of  them  shouted.  And, 
oh,  such  a  wonderful  echo !  There  was  such  an  amazing 
volume  of  sound,  and  it  seemed  to  roll  and  roll  and  roll, 
winding  upward  in  constantly  decreasing  spiral  curves 
until  we  could  imagine  it  was  issuing  from  the  very  apex 
of  the  pyramid.  The  ventilating  passages,  however,  are 
choked  up  or  stopped  up  by  the  Arabs,  and  we  did  not 
care  to  remain  very  long  in  Smyth's  royal  apartment. 
There  w'ere  none  of  us  frightened,  as  we  had  a  good  sup- 
ply of  candles,  but  none  of  us  felt  any  regret  when  we 
looked  up  the  long  "  telescoj^e "  on  our  return  and  saw 
the  star-like  glimmer  of  the  day." 

Of  all  sciences  Mrs.  Giffen  most  loved  mathematics  and 
was  never  more  happy  than  when  engaged  in  the  solution 
of  some  difficult  problem.  It  is  said  that  "  when  a  little 
girl  she  was  known  to  work  three  days  on  one  sum  in 
addition  in  Davies'  Algebra,  rather  than  pass  it  over  or  to 
take  the  say  of  the  teacher,  without  a  perfect  understand- 
ing of  why  it  was  so." 


174  LIFE   AND   LETTERS   OF 

CHAPTER  XVI. 

ROME — COLISEUM — VATICAN — ST.  PETER's. 

"  Most  travelers  I  think  indulge  in  a  great  deal  of  enthu- 
siasm over  their  first  day  in  Rome,  not  perhaps  because 
they  really /ee/  a  great  deal  but  because  they  thought  they 
would  when  they  left  home,  and  because  they  knew  their 
friends  expect  at  least  a  small  outburst  from  them.  They 
usually  jum])  up  early  the  first  morning,  write  a  letter 
home  and  date  it  from  "the  Eternal  City,"  the  contents 
consisting  largely  of  very  sage  reflections  on  "  seven  hilled 
Rome," — "  Niobe  of  nations,"  etc.,  etc.  But  Ave  were  not 
just  travelers — with  one  exeejDtion — we  were  on  our  way  to 
a  new  and  trving  life,  and  we  thought  much  more  fre- 
quently  of  what  awaited  us  there  than  of  the  sights  and  scenes 
through  which  wc  were  passing.  When  you  travel  as  far 
as  Egypt  I  think  most  persons  become  conscious  of  consid- 
erable indifference  to  even  "  the  Avonders  of  the  world." 
There  is  so  much  to  disgust  one,  particularly  an  American. 
His  credulity  is  appealed  to  so  incessantly  that  he  falls 
into  a  kind  of  mental  desperation  and  feels  like  affirming 
that  he  doesn't  believe  anything.  Even  in  Westminster 
Abbey  at  the  very  outset  of  our  sight-seeing  our  ap- 
preciation of  the  grand  old  building  and  its  innumera- 
ble treasures  of  art  was  very  considerably  lessened  by  the 
absolute  reverence  which  the  keepers  and  guides  manifested 
for  the  mere  relics  of  kings  and  queens  who  had  only 
cursed  the  Avorld  while  they  Avere  alive. 

If  you  could  see  all  the  famous  places  in  peace  and  quiet 
and  examine  them  at  your  leisure,  the  effect  Avould  be  dif- 
ferent ;  but  to  one  just  passing  through  it  seems  that  Eu- 
rope literally  lives  upon  the  credulity  of  travelers.     There 


1 


MRS.    MARY   GALLOWAY   GIFFEN.  175 

is  ahvays  somebody  at  your  elbow  to  tell  you  in  the  most 
triumphant  tones  that  you  arc  just  on  the  very  spot  where 
some  wonderful  saint  performed  some  most  wonderful 
miracle,  and  that  he  only  asks  you  a  franc  for  the  valuable 
information.  It  would  undoubtedly  have  left  a  gaji  in 
your  life  not  to  have  heard  of  it  and  you  give  him  the 
franc  to  get  rid  of  him.  By  the  time  you  reach  Rome  you 
are  so  surfeited  with  priests  and  nuns,  with  endless  jiicturcs 
of  the  Virgin  JNIary,  with  St.  Peter's  keys  and  mitre  that 
you  almost  forget,  or  wish  to  forget,  that  the  one  loas  our 
Lord's  mother,  or  that  the  other  was  a  great  apostle  and 
martyr,  and  that  both  are  now  before  the  "great  white 
throne." 

I  think  there  was  but  one  place  among  the  many  Avhich 
we  saw  in  Rome  that  we  really  enjoyed  in  itself  This  was 
the  Coliseum,  of  which  everybody  has  read  and  heard  so 
much.  But  for  those  who  forget  figures  and  dimensions,  I 
may  say  it  was  an  oval  structure  consisting  of  three  stories 
of  arches  and  each  story  composed  of  eighty  arches.  Those 
of  the  first  tier  are  marked  with  Roman  numbers,  as  they 
formed  so  many  entrances,  through  which  by  internal  stair- 
cases the  upper  stories  were  reached.  These  are  on  the 
plan  of  open  galleries,  each  succeeding  one  receding  like 
the  seats  in  a  circus.  The  first  one  is  necessarily  quite 
wide,  affording  space  for  a  very  wide  hall  in  rear  of  the 
gallery  and  stair-cases,  the  second  tier  of  arches  forming 
its  windows.  In  this  first  gallery  was  the  Podmm,  the  place 
occupied  by  the  Emperors,  their  families,  the  magistrates, 
the  senators,  priests  and  vestals.  On  the  second  floor  is 
another  gallery  and  a  narrow  hall,  and  on  the  third  floor 
merely  a  gallery. 

It  is  impossible  to  conceive  anything  better  adapted  to 
the  purpose  for  which  it  was  designed   than  this  great 


176  LIFE   AND   LETTERS   OP 

structure.  The  eighty  entrances,  the  absence  of  a  roof,  and 
the  great  wide  halls  must  have  made  it  a  delightful  place  of 
resort  for  those  who  found  their  highest  enjoyment  in  wit- 
nessing blood  and  slaughter.  It  is  about  five  hundred  and 
eighty-five  yards  in  circumference,  and  perhaps  fifty-five 
in  height,  and  was  capable  of  seating  one  hundred  thousand 
persons.  It  was  built  by  the  Emperor  Vespasian  on  the 
ground  formerly  occupied  by  the  stagnum  of  the  garden 
of  Nero,  and  served  for  the  purpose  of  gladiatorial  com- 
bats until  the  year  523.  During  the  six  hundred  succeed- 
ing years  it  was  used  as  a  stronghold  by  some  noble  fami- 
lies, and  in  1332  a  magnificent  tournament  was  given 
there. 

Pius  VII.,  Leo  X.,  Gregory  XVI.,  and  finally  Pius  IX. 
all  made  important  repairs  and  restorations.  The  latter 
has  restored  the  upper  tier  for  about  one  third  of  the  cir- 
cumference to  its  primitive  condition,  so  that  one  may  now 
form  a  tolerably  accurate  idea  of  the  original,  while  "  the 
magnificence  of  the  ruin  "  is  but  the  more  enhanced.  Our 
one  regret  was  that  we  could  not  see  it  by  moonlight, 
though  if  we  had  I  think  our  thoughts  would  not  have 
glided  into  that  old  worn  channel  which  most  travelers  fall 
into,  a  practical  lament  over  "  the  ruins  of  time." 

To  enjoy  "  the  imposing  spectacle  which  this  monument 
presents,"  as  the  guide  books  would  say,  we  ascended  the 
highest  part,  and  sat  down  on  the  stones  where  so  many 
old  Romans  had  been  before  us.  Perhaps  they  were  poor 
plebeians,  crowded  up  to  the  higher  seats  by  the  haughty 
patricians  below,  or  perhaps  they  were  gay  boys  and  girls 
who  enjoyed  getting  up  above  their  patres  familias,  and 
who  gave  few  thoughts  to  the  martyrs  on  the  sands  below. 
The  same  bright  sun  looked  down  upon  us  as  upon  them, 
but  how  different  was  all  else.     The  whole  arena  is  strewn 


MRS.    MARY   GALLOWAY    GIFFEN.  177 

with  great  broken  columns,  appropriate  emblems  of  the 
power  which  once  was  so  triumphant  here,  the  lovely  little 
flowers  were  springing  everywhere  in  the  crevices  which 
once  were  worn  and  dry  from  the  trampling  of  a  thousand 
feet.  Busy  workmen  were  cai-efully  excavating  the  cells 
and  dens  in  which  lions  and  tigers  were  pampered  to  ren- 
der them  fit  combatants  for  him  who  dared  to  "  believe  in 
Jesus."  Behind  us  lay  the  great  city,  not  as  then  pagan, 
persecuting  Rome,  but  Christian,  persecuting  Rome  ;  just 
as  merciless,  just  as  blood-thirsty  as  when  the  perfect 
Coliseum  rang  with  the  applause  of  a  hundred  thousand 
hard-hearted  })agans. 

The  abutment  which  receives  the  third  tier  of  arches 
projects  about  a  yard,  ami  from  the  hall  you  can  step 
through  the  open  arches  upon  this  projection.  If  I  remem- 
ber correctly  the  wall  was  here  at  least  five  or  six  feet  in 
thickness,  so  you  may  form  some  idea  of  the  thickness  at 
the  base,  and  the  immense  amount  of  material  required  to 
construct  it.  I  walked  out  on  the  projection,  gathered  some 
flowers,  and  intended  to  walk  all  round  that  side  but  the 
gentlemen  looked  such  strong  objections  that  I  gave  it  up 
and  contented  myself  with  the  view  of  "  the  Seven  Hills  " 
which,  from  the  height  of  the  Coliseum,  is  one  of  the  most 
beautiful  scenes  in  the  world,  at  least  as  far  as  my  experi- 
ence goes.  Just  to  the  right  is  the  Palatine  Hill  with  the 
ruins  of  "  the  Palace  of  the  C»sars,"  where  the  great 
Apostle  stood  in  chains  before  cruel  Nero.  Persecutor  and 
persecuted,  both  now  are  dust,  as  to  the  mortal  part ;  the 
gilded  palace  too  has  crumbled  away,  and  the  saints  which 
were  "  of  Caesar's  household  "  all  are  gone.  Most  of  them 
no  doubt  passed  away  from  earth  by  violent  hands.  But 
what  a  monument  is  this  Coliseum  of  them  "of  whom  the 
the  world  was  not  worthy!  "     May  it  stand  just  as  it  does 


178  LIFE   AND   LETTERS   OF 

to-day,  a  magnificent  ruin  to  the  end  of  time!  a  mementor 
of  the  broken  power  which  poured  out  on  these  white 
sands  the  blood  of  thousands  of  mart)a-s.  May  it  stand  as 
it  does  now  a  silent  witness  of  the  advancement  of  that 
kingdom  which  Avill  (jne  day  fill  the  whole  earth,  which  is 
stronger  than  Roman  legions  and  mightier  than  many 
Csesars. 

There  is  a  quiet  and  silence  about  the  ])lace  not  found 
in  other  quarters  of  Rome.  After  paying  the  entrance  fee 
no  one  disturbed  us  and  we  walked  leisurely  around  enjoy- 
ing our  oAvn  reflections.  As  we  passed  around  one  of  the 
long  halls,  and  with  our  hearts  touched  and  softened  at 
thought  of  the  agony  on  which  those  dumb  walls  had  so 
often  looked  down,  I  said  to  INIr.  G. :  "  How  amazing  that 
thousands  of  people  once  thronged  these  great  galleries  to 
make  a  pastime  of  death ! "  And  he  answered  softly : 
"  They  were  pagans.     '  By  grace  you  are  what  you  are  ! ' " 

In  Byron's  "  Manfred  "  there  occurs  a  beautiful  descrip- 
tion of  the  Coliseum  by  moonlight.  There  is  now  in  pos- 
session of  Dr.  Phillips  a  copy  of  this  poem,  and  on  the 
margin  opposite  this  description,  an  entry  in  the  handwrit- 
ing of  Mrs.  Giffen,  in  these  words:  "I  would  give  twenty 
of  the  best  years  of  my  life  to  stand  where  he  stood  on 
that  night."  This  sentence  Avas  penned  twelve  years  before 
this  letter  was  written.  Such  a  change  does  the  grace  of 
God  work  in  the  heart. 

The  lines  which  called  forth  this  longing  desire  to  view 
this  beautiful  ruin  were  these : 

"  Upon  such  a  night 
I  stood  within  the  Coliseum's  wall, 
Midst  the  chief  relics  of  almighty  Rome : 
The  trees  which  grew  along  its  Itroken  arciies 
AVaved  dark  in  the  blue  midnight,  and  the  star 
Shone  through  the  rents  of  ruin  ;  from  afar 


I 


Mrs.    MARY   GALLOWAY    GIFFEN.  179 

The  watch-dog  bayed  beyond  the  Tiber  ;  and 
More  near  from  out  the  Csesar's  palace  came 
The  owl's  long  cry,  and  interruptedly 
Of  distant  sentinels  the  fitful  song 
Begun  and  died  upon  the  gentle  wind." 

Ill  regard  to  her  visit  to  the  Vatican  and  St.  Peter  she 
says : 

"  Sometimes  when  I  have  leisure  to  think  of  something 
else  than  my  immediate  surroundings  I  recall  the  time 
when  I  used  to  "  devour  "  books  of  travel  and  provoke  a 
smile  from  incredulous  friends  by  affirming  that  I  intended 
some  day  to  stand  "beneath  the  dome  of  St.  Peter's." 
But  when  we  drew  aside  the  massive  curtain  which  shuts 
out  the  profane  light  of  day  from  Rome's  most  venerated 
Basilica,  how  the  romance  had  fled !  It  was  not  the  old  dream 
nor  I  the  same  person.  I  was  in  "  Sunny  Italy,"  I  knew, 
but  it  was  not  now  the  ultimatum  of  my  ambition.  The 
"  land  of  the  caliphs  "  and  the  sons  of  the  desert  were  of 
far  more  interest,  and  I  walked  down  that  magnificent 
Nave  with  feelings  as  widely  different  from  what  I  had 
dreamed  I  would  experience,  as  was  the  means  which 
gratified  my  school-girl  wish  from  my  original  expecta- 
tions. 

The  Vatican,  you  know,  was  the  palace  of  Charlemagne 
when  he  was  crowned  by  Leo,  but  it  has  been  indefinitely 
adorned  and  extended  by  the  Popes  who  have  resided  in 
it.  It  is  of  three  stories,  and  contains  a  perfect  labyrinth 
of  halls,  galleries,  chapels,  corridors,  libraries,  museums, 
and  court-yards.  Of  course  we  ascended  one  of  the  eight 
trrand  stair-cases — there  are  two  hundred  inferior  ones — 
but  I  have  forgotten  the  length  of  it.  I  think,  however, 
it  cannot  be  under  three  hundred  feet.  It  is  a  magnificent 
ascending  marble  hall,  richly  ornamented  like  every  other 


180  LIFE   AND    LETTERS   OF 

part  of  these  great  buildings,  but  the  only  statue  I  remeniber 
is  an  equestrian  figure  of  "  Saul  the  Persecutor"  when  "sud- 
denly there  shined  round  about  him  a  light  from  heaven." 
The  splendid  horse  is  rearing  in  silent  terror,  but  it  is  only 
amazement  which  speaks  in  the  rider's  face.  He  has  not 
yet  "fallen  to  the  ground."  He  still  "breathes  out 
threatenings  and  slaughter."  It  is  the  lion  heart  still  un- 
subdued, the  eagle  eye  gazing,  undimmed  as  yet,  into  the 
very  rays  of  the  streaming  light.  But  the  days  of  his  re- 
bellion are  numbered.  After  this  day  he  will  persecute  no 
more,  and  "  Saul  the  Jew  "  will  be  henceforth  "  Paul  the 
Apostle."  It  Avas  the  only  thing  about  St.  Peter's  which 
seemed  pure  and  true  and  which  it  seems  pleasant  to  re- 
member. 

At  the  head  of  the  stair-case   we  found  some  galleries 
containing  modern  paintings,  but  I  could  detect  little  ex- 
cellence except  in  richness  of  coloring.     Popes  and  Cardi- 
nals in  scarlet  robes  figuring  largely  iu  all  of  them.     We 
passed  on  to  the  Sistine  Chapel  with  every  expectation  of 
being  overwhelmed  Avith  the  world's  masterpiece  of  paint- 
ing—Michael Angelo's  "  Last  judgment."     It  is  iu  fresco 
and  covers  one  end  of  the  hall,  but — sorry  I  am  to  confess 
it — we  could  not  detect  the  "  magnificence  "  of  the  paint- 
ing.    Like  everything  else,  it  is  distinctively  a   Catholic 
picture,  and  is  badly  injured  by  damp  and  candle  smoke. 
Afterwards  we  went  through  hall  after  hall  with  their 
walls  covered  with  the  works  of  "  the  great  masters  "  but 
without  time  to  study  them.     Inexperienced  eyes  I  think 
will  always  come  away  disappointed. 

The  Nave  is  vaulted  and  richly  decorated  with  gilding. 
The  pavement  is  of  various  marbles,  inlaid  in  beautiful 
mosaic  designs,  and  indeed  such  a  wealth  of  marble  can 
surely  not  exist  anywhere  else  in  the  world.     Many  of  the 


MRS.    MARY    GALLOWAY    GIFFEN.  181 

statues  of  popes  and  saints  were  literally  enveloped  in  mar- 
ble lace.  Sucli  grace  in  the  drapery  and  such  exquisite 
carving  I  could  not  have  believed  possible.  "  But  the 
pity  of  it" — all  thrown  away  on  mitred  j)opes! 

On  the  left  of  the  Nave  were  many  confessionals— little 
rooms  scattered  up  and  down  the  long  aisle,  with  a  priest 
in  each  and  the  language  he  spoke  printed  above  the  door, 
but  there  was  but  one  penitent  in  them  all.  It  was  a 
woman,  and  we  waited  to  see  her  face  when  she  came  out. 
She  had  soft,  dreamy  eyes  and  a  sweet,  sad  face  ;  and  as 
she  passed  out  Ave  wondered  what  secret  she  had  poured 
into  the  ear  of  that  hardened-looking  priest. 

But  I  am  sure  you  want  to  know  how  we  were  impressed 
by  "  the  grand  whole."  Well,  I  must  admit  it  again  that 
we  were  grievously  disappointed.  And  I  think  this  is  the 
experience  of  everyone  who  sees  St.  Peter's  only  once.  It 
is  like  "  the  great  masters  " — must  be  studied.  There  is 
such  a  vast  amount  of  statuary  and  ornament  of  every 
kind,  such  vast  rows  of  arches,  vaults  and  columns  that 
one  loses  all  idea  of  proportion,  and  really  forgets  that  it 
is  a  large  building.  It  is  said  to  be  so  perfect  in  its  pro- 
portions that  one  feature  does  not  call  attention  to  another 
by  any  contrast,  and  it  is  not  until  one  has  seen  it  several 
times  that  the  impression  of  its  great  size  begins  to  be 
formed  in  the  mind.  Unfortunately  we  could  not  get  ac- 
cess to  the  dome,  and  were  compelled  to  be  content  with 
almost  dislocating  our  necks  to  look  up  its  great  height. 

Now  shall  I  make  a  confession.  You  will  smile  and 
others  will  perhaps  feel  inclined  to  criticise  my  taste,  but 
I  must  say  that  nowhere  in  Europe  did  I  see  any  building 
which  pleased  me  so  much  as  the  exterior  of  the  Capitol 
at  Washington.  I  think  I  will  never  forget  that  beautiful 
facade  literally  glittering  in  the  evening  sunlight  as  you 


182 


LIFE   AND   LETTERS   OF 


stopped  to  let  me  take  a  last  look  at  it.  Nothing  I  saw  in 
London  and  Paris,  nothing  in  the  bewildering  Palace  Gar- 
dens in  Florence,  nothing  even  in  Eonie  can  at  all  com- 
pare with  the  native  magnificence  of  our  Capitol  grounds. 
I  think  of  the  Capitol,  and  Notre  Dame  seems  like  some 
great  gloomy  old  prison.  The  Florentine  palaces  exter- 
nally, might  pass  for  an  old  fortress  with  its  barracks,  and 
when  I  come  to  the  Grand  Piazza  of  St.  Peter's  with  its 
magnificent  colonnade,  how  tame  and  spiritless  it  seems 
compared  with  the  grass  and  the  trees,  the  great  winding 
walks  and  carriage  drives  of  our  Republican  grounds." 

After  Mrs.  Giffen  had  graduated,  the  chiefest  desire  of 
her  heart  was  to  visit  Europe.     The  glowing  descriptions 
of  the  Avonders  of  the  old  world,  with  which  the  books  of 
travel  were  filled,  had  excited  in  her  an  irrepressible  de- 
sire to  see  for  herself  these  beauties  of  nature  and  mira- 
cles of  art,  which  had  so  captivated  other  beholders.     To 
stand  beneath  the  dome  of  St.  Peter's,  on  "  the  banks  of 
the  yellow  Tiber,"  the  "  Coliseum's  ruined  Avail ;"  to  float 
some  calm,  starry  night  on  the  beautiful  bay  of  Naples  ;  to 
see    the    blue    skies   of   "  sunny    Italy ;"    to    be    privi- 
leged  to    commune  face    to   face   Avith   the   great   crea- 
tions of  "  the  old  masters  "  in  painting  and  sculpture — the 
"  Last  Supper  "  of  Michael   Angelo,  the  "  Apollo  Belvi- 
dere  " — to  gratify  this  all-pervading  desire  Avas  the  ulti- 
matum of  her  earthly  hopes.     But  now  Avhen  she  does 
stand  in  the  presence  of  these  mighty  creations  of  art  and 
genius,  Avhat  a  change  has  "  come  over  the  spirit  of  her 
dream."     The    Coliseum    is    the  same    magnificent   ruin, 
and  St.  Peter's  the  same  bcAvildering  pile  of  marble — Avhy 
does  she  now  look  upon  them  Avith  different  eyes  ?    The  actu- 
ating motive  of  her  life  is  not  the  same.     The  dazzling 
dream  of  her  girlhood  has  \^auished,  and  she  noAv  stood 


MRS.    MARY   GALLOWAY    GIFFEN.  183 

the  strong,  self-reliant  wonjan,  purified  and  emancipated 
by  the  almighty  grace  of  God,  "  a  neio  creature,"  whose 
one  purpose  and  inspiration  was  to  see,  not  Rome,  but  that 
"  city  whose  foundations  are  eternal  and  whose  builder  and 
maker  is  God "  to  stand,  not  upon  "  the  seven  hills  of 
Rome,"  but  upon  "the  everlasting  hills;"  not  upon  the 
banks  of  the  Tiber,  but  upon  the  shores  of  "  the  river  of 
life;"  to  see,  not  St.  Peter's — the  temple  of  God  "made 
Avith  hands,"  but  to  wonder  and  worship  in  that  "  temple 
not  made  with  hands,  eternal  in  the  heavens." 


CHAPTER  XVII. 

MRS.    GIFFEN's    marriage. 

In  a  little  more  than  a  year  after  Mrs.  Giffen's  arrival  in 
Egypt  she  was  united  in  marriage  to  Rev.  John  Giffen,  of 
the  same  mission,  and  one  of  her  fellow-travelers  on  the 
voyage  out  from  America.  He  was  born  near  St.  Clairs- 
ville,  Ohio,  where  his  family  now  reside,  and  entered  the 
mission  at  the  same  time  that  Mrs.  Giifen  did.  But  the 
particulars  in  regard  to  this  most  interesting  event  are  best 
given  in  her  own  words.  She  says  in  a  letter  to  Dr.  Bon- 
ner :  "  Do  you  remember  that  after  you  had  taken  leave 
of  me  on  board  the  Cuba  the  day  we  sailed  from  New  York 
you  met  Mr.  Giffen  just  outside  the  cabin  door,  and  that 
you  put  me  in  his  special  care?  AVell,  he  most  faithfully 
fulfilled  the  promise  he  made  you,  of  performing  a  liroth- 
er's  part  to  me,  not  only  on  the  long  journey,  but  during 
all  our  stay  here.     You  put  me  into  his  care  as  a  sister, 


184  LIFE   AND    LETTERS   OF 

but  now,  as  you  will  have  heard,  I  have  given  myself  into 
his  care  in  another  relation.  My  name  is  changed  some- 
what, but  I  am  "  M.  E.  G."  still — your  missionary  just  all 
the  same.  My  work  may  not  be  altogether  in  the  same 
shape,  more  of  it  may  be  in  the  house,  among  the  mothers, 
but  it  will  be  quite  as  effective  so,  and  more  encouraging. 
Be  that  as  it  may,  however,  you  will  not  find  that  a  change 
of  name  has  changed  anything  else.  I  am  yours  just  as 
before  and  hope  to  be  able  to  communicate  with  you  just 
as  often  as  before. 

We  were  married  at  Dr.  Lansing's  on  the  5th  of  June, 
and  though  neither  of  us  had  any  claim  of  relationship, 
we  were  made  to  feel  just  as  pleasant,  just  as  much  at  home 
as  if  our  wedding  guests  had  assembled  in  a  certain  parlor 
in  Due  AVest.  The  Cousul-General,  Hon.  Mr.  Farman. 
was  present,  with  the  Vice  Consul,  Mr.  Hay  and  family, 
Judge  and  Mrs.  Batchelor,  of  the  Internal  Court,  Mr.  Rem- 
ington, of  New  York,  and  all  the  missionaries  now  in  the 
field,  except  Mr.  Ewing,  who  was  detained  by  illness  in 
his  fjimily.  You  know  that  Mrs.  Lansing's  early  mission- 
ary letters  are  the  first  things  I  ever  remember  to  have 
read,  and  that  they  had  quite  an  influence  in  tui-ning  my 
thoughts  and  inclinations  towards  mission  life.  And  the 
last  time  she  was  in  America  she  made  an  appeal  to  the 
theological  students  of  Xenia  which  had  more  weight  with 
Mr.  Giffen  than  anything  else  of  the  kind  brought  to  bear 
on  his  mind  in  deciding  the  question  of  his  coming  to 
Egypt.  It  was,  therefore,  a  very  pleasant  coincidence  that 
we  were  married  in  her  house.  Her  marriage  with  Dr. 
Lansing  was  the  only  precedent  one  we  had  in  the  mission, 
and  Dr.  L.  pronounced  our  ceremony." 

This  union  proved  to  both  "  a  marriage  made  in  heaven." 
There  entered  into  it  none  of  the  selfish  and  mercenary 


MRS.    MARY   GALLOWAY   GIFFEN.  185 

motives  which  too  often  lead  to  marriage  and  misery.  Those 
feelings  which  God  and  nature  has  ordained  shall  consti- 
tute the  true  basis  of  marriage,  alone  operated  in  this  case. 
With  her  hand  she  gave  her  heart — not  partially  but 
wholly.  A  more  loyal,  faithful,  loving  wife  never  lived. 
All  the  affections  of  her  nature,  and  they  were  intense  and 
powerful,  went  out  to  her  husband  and  children.  She  lit- 
erally lived  in  and  for  those  whom  she  loved.  From  the 
hour  of  her  marriage  self  had  few  of  her  thoughts. 

In  a  letter  to  her  mother  she  says  :  "  I  have  as  good  and 
kind  a  husband  as  ever  blessed  any  woman.  Nothing  that 
thoughtful  love  and  care  can  bring  to  me  will  ever  be 
wanting.  I  think  my  sleepless  nights,  and  the  nervous 
anxiety  which  has  almost  killed  me  the  last  months,  are 
things  which  will  never  come  back  to  me.  Mr.  Giffen  is  a 
very  pious  man,  one  whom  I  can  trust  to  the  last  degree — 
deeply  affectionate,  and  a  man  to  command  and  retain  re- 
gard. We  are  as  happy  as  we  can  be.  The  world  wears 
a  different  aspect  from  what  it  did,  before  we  knew  that 
each  cared  for  the  other.  So  do  not  be  troubled  about  me 
any  more.  O  !  that  God  would  make  me  worthy  of  the 
blessing  He  is  giving  me,  and  that  it  may  be  the  better  for 
the  world  that  we  have  lived  together  in  it.  I  hope  we 
will  be  as  useful  as  we  are  happy,  for  I  am  sure  our  facili- 
ties for  usefulness  are  greatly  increased." 

At  first  the  Church  feared  that  Mrs.  Giffen 's  usefulness 
and  efficiency  as  a  missionary  would  be  impaired  by  her 
marriage,  but  this  fear  proved  groundless.  In  this  new  re- 
lation her  zeal  suffered  no  abatement,  and  in  earnest  labors 
to  prepare  herself  for  the  full  work  of  a  missionary,  her 
hand  slacked  not.     Just  the  reverse  proved  true. 

In  the  east  there  are  more,  and  effectual  doors  of  use- 
fulness opened  to  the  married  than  the  unmarried  mission- 


186  LIFE   AND   LETTERS   OP 

aiy,  so  that  she  truly  says  "  our  facilities  for  usefulness  are 
greatly  increased."  Of  this  period  of  her  life  Dr.  Hogg 
writes :  "  Not  only  did  she  forget  herself  in  the  ardor  of 
her  zeal,  but  sometimes  she  seemed  to  forget  those  who 
were  dearer  to  her  than  self.  Loving  her  children  with  a 
doting  affection,  yet  the  cases  were  very  rare — unless  com- 
pelled to  leave  Asyoot — in  which  she  allowed  the  sickness 
of  a  child  to  interfere  with  her  daily  work." 

Perhaps  in  J:Ome  there  might  have  been  the  sentiment 
that  it  ^vould  be  romantic  to  toil  on  and  alone  to  the  end 
of  life  as  "  Miss  Galloway."  But  in  that  dark  and  distant 
land,  there  is  little  of  romance  and  poetic  sentiment  in  the 
liie  a  lonely  and  cheerless  woman. 

After  their  marriage  Mr.  Giffen  was  sent  to  Alexandria. 
Of  the  first  night  they  spent  in  that  city  she  says  :  "  It 
was  with  very  solemn  feelings  that  we  knelt  for  evening 
prayers  the  first  time  here.  We  felt  that  our  coming  had 
not  been  of  our  own  seeking,  that  we  were  in  effect  charged 
with  the  responsibility  of  oi^ening  almost  a  new  mission  in 
this  great  wicked  city.  Had  Jesus  come  in  with  us,  and 
would  he  make  his  abode  with  us?  Or  had  we  left  him 
Avithout  still  knocking  at  the  door  ?  How  fearfully  empty 
the  large  bare  rooms  seemed  with  the  possibility  that  He 
might  not  be  in  them  !  and  how  beautifully  furnished,  how 
greatly  adorned  with  the  hope  that  he  not  only  was  in  them 
Avith  us,  but  that  he  himself  had  brought  us  and  Avould  in 
his  own  good  time  "  fill  this  house  Avith  his  glory." 


MRS.    MARY   GALLOWAY   GIFFEN.  187 

CHAPTER  XVIII. 

VISIT   TO   A   TURKISH   HAREM — BANNER   GIRL. 

"  Just  at  the  end  of  our  terrace  we  can  look  down  into 
a  beautiful  garden  owned  by  a  Turkish  Bey.     There  is  a 
very  large,  handsome  dwelling  back  in  the  grounds,  and 
near  the  gate  a  large  building  containing  a  large  parlor 
furnished  in  Frank  style,  a  ball  and  billiard  room.     We 
had  often  looked  in  and  wished  we  could  see  the  peoi)le 
who  lived  inside,  but  the  gate  was  always  sa  carefully 
guarded  by  jet  black  harem  servants  that  it  always  seemed 
rather  a  forbidding  prospect.     However,  we  ventured  to 
send  our  Moslem  gardener  to  inquire  if  a  visit  would  be 
acceptable.     A  very  polite  message  was  returned  and  we 
went  over.     The  servants  at  the  gate  "  rose  up  "  to  meet 
us  just  as  the  Bible  represents  inferiors  as  doing  to  those 
they  wished  to  honor,  and  the  brother  of  the  Bey  passed 
us  in  the  grounds  and  very  politely  invited  us  to  enter. 
The  women  were  sitting  in  a  beautiful  front  gallery  which 
is  entirely  closed  in  with  glass,  some  of  it  richly  "  stained." 
They  seated  us  and  then  gave  us  a  regular  scanning.     I 
had  a  thin  blue  veil  on,  and  the  woman  who  seemed  freest 
to  talk  told  me  to  put  up  my  veil.     I  hesitated  and  she  in- 
sisted very  positively,  using  the  word  "  Iftahee "    which 
means    to    open    like   a    door.      They  then    inquired   all 
about  us,  where  we  all  lived,  what  we  did,  what  we  came 
here  for,  if  we  had  no  friends  who  loved  us  at  home,  and 
finally,  of  course,  if  we  were  married.     But  before  anyone 
could  answer  they  said  they  had  seen  me  in  the  street  with 
a  Chowagah.     Who  was  he  ?     Miss  J.  told  her  and  then 
she  said,  "  Well,  I  like  him,  and  I  am  coming  to  live  with 
you."     They  were  greatly   surprised    that    none    of  the 


188  LIFE   AND    LETTERS   OF 

other  four  were  married  and  inquired  very  earnestly  if 
they  didn't  want  to  be.     The  spokesman  of  the  party  an- 
swered for  herself  that  she  didn't,  but  told  them  to  inquire 
of  the  others  themselves.     Tliey  began  and  put  the  ques- 
tion very  nicely  to  each  one,  "  If  the  man  was  very  nice,  if 
everything  was  nice  wouldn't  they  take  him  ?  "     To  their 
amusement  and  gratification  one  of  the  ladies  said  "  Yom- 
kin" — perhaps — and  they  dropped  the  subject,  feeling  that 
she  was  a  sensible  woman,  whom  hard  fate  had  condemned 
to  a  miserable  existence.     They  brought  us  sherbet  on  a 
very  handsome  silver  waiter,  and  then  shoAved  us  through 
the  house.     The  woman  who  talked  was  a  widow.     The 
wife  of  the  Bey  was  dressed  in  dark  print,  made  Avith  a 
basque  and  very  long  trail  and  she  wore  beautiful  white 
satiu,  high-heeled  French    slippers  over  red  and    white 
striped  stockings.     The  wife  of  the  Bey's  brother    came 
next  in  dignity.     She  wore  a  trail,  too,  but  shorter  than 
the  other.     In  fact  you  could  tell  the  position  in  the  house 
by  the  length  of  the  trail.     There  were  a  good  many  in- 
ferior wives  who  did  not  sit  with  the  others,  but  either  stood 
or  sat  humbly  on  the  carpet.     The  house  was  on  the  Turk- 
ish style,  all  the  doors  being  furnished  with  heavy  damask 
curtains.      After  we  had  passed  through   several  rooms 
back  from  the  front,  one  of  the  women  told  us  we  were 
then  in  the  harem. 

In  the  garden  they  talked  more  freely  than  in  the  house, 
perhaps  because  we  had  them  singly,  said  they  were  pris- 
oners in  the  house,  could  not  get  out  because  the  Bey's 
mother  had  died  a  year  before,  that  they  could  not  read  or 
write,  and  had  nothing  to  amuse  themselves  with.  The 
brother's  wife  said  she  was  married  in  Stamboul  (Constan- 
tinople) sixteen  years  ago,  and  she  had  never  been  back, 
had  never  heard  a  word  from  her  mother,  and  did  not  know  if 


MRS.    MAKY   GALLOWAY    GIFFEN.  189 

she  were  dead  or  alive.  We  were  walking,  when  she  said 
this,  through  the  most  beautiful  grounds,  under  immensely 
long  grape  arbors  just  laden  with  great  luscious  clusters 
that  almost  make  one  think  of  "  the  grapes  of  Eschol." 
There  was  their  magnificent  house  behind  us  which  Avould 
have  seemed  a  palace  to  us,  and  there  were  any  number  of 
slaves  to  perform  every  service,  and  yet  how  discontented 
and  unhappy  they  seemed, 'how  they  longed  to  get  out  into 
the  world  as  we  did  !  They  seemed  wholly  unable  to  un- 
derstand how  it  could  be  that  we  heard  from  our  mothers 
every  week.  AVe  passed  through  a  delightful  little  grotto 
at  length  and  came  out  upon  a  little  lake.  Here  they 
stopped  us,  gave  us  chairs,  and  had  coffee  brought.  After 
taking  this  we  went  up  an  artificial  hill  in  the  corner  of 
the  garden  and  from  the  top  of  which  the  wall  was  not 
more  than  a  yard  high.  You  could  look  down  perhaps 
twenty  feet  into  a  little  narrow  street  through  which  we 
always  pass  on  our  way  to  the  sea,  and  now  we  knew  how 
it  was  that  they  knew  me  and  had  seen  my  Chowagah.  It 
is  from  that  hill  that  they  see  the  world,  and  we  imagined 
we  could  rather  understand  their  feelings  when  they  stood 
up  there  and  looked  down  at  us  going  to  the  sea  with  the 
gentlemen. 

When  we  came  down  they  took  us  into  the  parlor  and 
opened  a  very  nice  piano.  I  played  some  for  them,  and 
sang  to  my  own  accompaniment,  which  seemed  to  interest 
them  immensely.  They  brought  a  very  fine  rose  while  I 
was  playing  and  stuck  it  in  the  candle-holder — a  fixture  of 
all  European  pianos — right  before  me  in  special  compli- 
ment. I  think  they  have  a  Greek  governess  for  the  chil- 
dren of  the  establishment,  but  we  did  not  feel  free  to  ask 
how  many  of  these  there  were  or  how  many  wives  there 
were. 


190  LIFE   AND   LETTERS   OF 

On  the  whole  we  quite  enjoyed  the  adventure,  and  I 
have  no  doubt  it  gave  a  great  deal  of  pleasure  to  the  poor 
"prisoners,"  as  they  called  themselves.  Some  evening 
when  we  have  a  little  leisure  we  propose  calling  again, 
taking  some  music  with  us,  and  finding  out  a  little  more  of 
our  Turkish  neighbors. 

It  Avill  be  remembered  that,  at  the  instance  of  Mrs.  Gif- 
fen,  the  various  Sabbath-schools  of  the  church  forwarded 
contributions  for  the  support  of  some  needy  and  deserving 
girl,  to  be  called  the  "Banner  Girl."  In  regard  to  this 
girl  she  writes : 

"  I  have  delayed  writing  you  in  reference  to  the  Banner 
Girl,  until  I  could  give  you  definite  information  about 
her.  The  little  girl's  name  is  Saloma.  She  is  about  eight 
or  nine  years  old.  Her  father  is  a  poor  weaver  in  a  town 
eight  miles  from  Sinnoris.  He  is  the  leading  Protestant 
in  his  village,  and  always  walks  to  Sinnoris  to  church,  be- 
ing generally  the  first  person  there.  Then  he  walks  back 
home,  collects  his  friends  and  neighbors  in  the  afternoon 
and  conducts  a  service  himself.  Mr.  Harvey  regards  him 
as  a  man  of  great  worth,  and  one  who  has  studied  the 
Bible  Avith  unusual  care.  As  I  have  said,  he  is  very  poor, 
poor  even  for  Egypt.  But  he  has  agreed  to  pay  fifteen 
dollars  per  annum  on  his  daughter's  expenses.  Mrs.  Har- 
vey says  that  is  a  great  sum  for  him  to  get  together,  and  she 
thinks  him  deserving  of  nnich  credit,  since  this  child  for 
Avhom  he  is  willing  to  make  such  sacrifices  is  "  only  a  girl." 
He  says  Saloma  shall  be  educated  "  if  he  has  to  sell  his 
cow,"  and  I  guess  few  people  in  America  know  how  great 
that  sacrifice  would  be.  It  is  considered  very  important 
that  people  here  so  learn  the  value  of  an  education  as  to 
be  willing  to  exert  themselves  to  obtain  it,  and  also  in  the 
case  of  girls  it  is  regarded  as  almost  indispensable  that 


MRS.   MARY   GALLOWAY   GIFFEN.  191 

mission  beneficiaries  belong  to  respectable  families.  Oth- 
erwise it  is  very  improbable  that  they  will  be  taken  in 
marriage  by  the  class  of  young  men  whom  we  wish  to  see 
our  girls  marry.  In  that  case,  shtnikl  they  not  be  fitted 
for  successful  teachers  they  become  great  burdens  on  the 
mission.  For  this  reason  it  is  considered  undesirable  to 
support  and  educate  many  orphans.  It  is  true  few 
other  girls  can  be  so  completely  brought  under  the  influ- 
ence of  missionaries,  but  as  soon  as  they  are  through  with 
school  they  unhesitatingly  claim  that  it  is  the  duty  of  the 
mission  either  to  find  them  husbands  or  salaried  positions. 
This  difficulty  of  course  is  obviated  in  the  case  of  girls 
who  have  parents  living.  Should  Saloma  prove  a  daugh- 
ter worthy  of  her  father  and  of  the  care  she  will  receive 
in  the  Cairo  Boarding  School  she  ought  to  be  a  great  light 
in  her  native  village." 

Again  she  writes  :  "  Miss  Johnson  says  that  the  '  Little 
Banner  Girl '  surprised  them  very  much  by  the  style  in 
which  she  returned  to  school — so  neat  and  clean — and  that 
she  was  studying  well  and  trying  very  hard  to  please 
them.  You  may  not  understand  just  how  much  it  means 
for  a  girl  to  return  to  school  dean.  Neither  parents  nor 
girls  know  much  of  that  virtue  before  the  latter  are  taught 
it  in  school,  and  many  of  them  regard  it  there  simply  be- 
cause they  know  they  must.  When  they  go  home  some  of 
them  relapse  into  former  habits  and  when  vacation  is  over 
the  teachers  often  find  that  no  real  progress  has  been 
made.  Clothes  are  soiled  and  out  of  order,  bath  tubs  have 
been  ignored,  and  their  heads — well,  I  will  spare  you  that. 
But  Saloma  showed  that  she  had  not  thrown  away  her 
four  month's  training,  and  Miss  J.  hopes  she  may  con- 
tinue to  do  as  well  as  she  has  begun." 

To  a  letter  written  by  Rev.  E.  P.  McClintock,  asking 


192  LIFE   AND   LETTERS   OF 

for  photographs  of  the  Banner  girl,  Mrs.  Giffen  replied: 
"  Perhaps  you  know  that  it  is  a  rare  thing  for  Egyptians 
to  have  pictures  made,  and  the  few  girls  in  our  schools 
whose  pictures  have  been  sent  to  societies  in  America,  have 
been  so  spoiled  by  it,  tliat  we  thought  best  not  to  give 
Saloma  ground  for  supposing  she  was  a  remarkable  girl. 
It  would  be  hard  for  you  to  appreciate  the  difference  be- 
tween her  home  life,  and  her  present  life  in  school,  al- 
though we  try  so  much  to  keep  down  expense.  But  when 
a  wretchedly  poor  girl  is  taken  from  her  home  and  placed 
in  a  school  it  is  nearly  impossible  to  keep  her  from  think- 
ing that  it  is  because  she  is  better  than  others.  I  have  not 
heard  any  special  complaint  of  this  kind  in  reference  to 
Saloma,  but  I  do  not  think  it  would  be  wise  to  take  her  to 
an  artist. 

We  sometimes  meet  with  great  disappointments  in  the 
people  we  assist  here.  All  of  us  have  girls  or  boys  whom 
we  support  ourselves  in  the  schools,  and  after  years  of  ef- 
fort and  expense  they  sometimes  prove  so  proud,  unthank- 
ful and  useless,  that  one  has  need  of  all  his  faith  to  begin 
with  another.  It  is  esteemed  a  distinction  to  be  aided  by 
us.  But  we  are  making  strenuous  efforts  to  convince  ben- 
eficiaries that  such  aid  is  charity.  It  would  amuse  you  to 
hear  the  tone  in  which  they  affirm  that  it  is  aid  and  not 
charity." 

Saloma's  education  is  still  incomplete,  lacking  one  year. 
She  is  now  at  home,  in  Rhoda,  where  she  is  going  out, 
twice  a  week,  among  the  women  reading  to  them  in  their 
homes,  from  the  Bible.  She  will  probably  become  a  use- 
ful Bible  woman. 

"  Last  week  a  fellaha  woman  who  is  a  church- member  in 
a  town  fifteen  or  twenty  miles  from  here,  brought  her  little 
girl  and  begged  to  have  her  taken,  although  she  could  not 


MRS.   MARY   GALLOWAY   GIFFEN.  193 

even  furnish  her  clothes.  She  is  well  spoken  of  by  the  men 
in  the  church  there,  and  has  to  bear  the  reproach  of  hav- 
ing five  daughters  and  no  sons.  Her  husband  is  a  Copt, 
and  very  \)ooy,  and  though  he  does  not  oppose  her  in  wish- 
ing to  educate  her  daughters,  yet  he  laughs  at  her  and  says; 
"  Do  you  think  you  can  make  boijn  out  of  them  ?  "  The 
little  girl  seemed  so  bright  and  full  of  curiosity  that  we 
thought  we  might  make  something  out  of  her,  so  I  have 
taken  her  and  will  support  her  out  of  the  tenth  of  my  sal- 
ary. She  seems  to  think  she  has  lighted  upon  Paradise, 
and,  as  the  native  teacher  said,  is  in  a  chronic  state  of  won- 
der !  Her  name  is  Mayan — Mary  ;  and  Miss  McK.  calls 
her  my  little  witch. 

Some  years  ago  a  Scotch  gentleman  brought  his  little 
invalid  daughter  to  Egypt  with  the  hojDC  that  a  Nile  voy- 
age might  prolong  her  life.  But  the  little  flower  drooped 
and  died.  Meantime  the  pai'ents  became  interested  in  the 
mission,  and  as  their  little  girl  held  some  property  in  her 
own  right  they  made  an  arrangement  to  furnish  forty 
pounds — two  hundred  dollars — annually  from  her  jiroperty 
to  educate  orphan  girls.  The  little  girl  of  a  very  useful 
"  Bible  Woman  "  and  a  blind  girl  are  at  present  supported 
by  this  fund,  in  the  boarding  school.  And  two  weeks  ago 
Dr.  Lansing  received  from  this  same  gentleman  a  check 
for  one  thousand  two  hundred  and  fifty  dollars  "  to  assist 
in  completing  the  girls'  department  in  the  new  building." 
It  w  as  a  most  generous  gift  in  a  time  of  sore  need,  as  w(n-k 
would  soon  have  had  to  stop  for  want  of  money  to  pay  the 
workmen." 


194  LIFE    AND    LETTERS   OF 

CHAPTER  XIX. 

ASYOOT   SCHOOLS — CO]MME>X'E]MENT. 

"  I  wrote  you  sometime  since  of  our  then  approaching  ex- 
amination. It  took  place  as  we  expected,  and  in  its  results 
has  been  all  that  we  could  have  asked.  When  we  began 
Thursday  morning  there  was  no  one  there  from  the  town, 
but  very  soon  they  began  dropping  in.  Last  year  our 
Protestant  business  men  and  the  teachers  in  the  govern- 
ment school  had  surprised  everybody  with  their  presence. 
But  this  year  we  scarcely  expected  many  ]Moslems,  as  some 
of  them  had  taken  great  offense  at  a  speech  made  in  the 
church  by  one  of  the  theologuos  a  month  before.  How- 
ever before  the  morning  was  half  over,  one  Moslem  digni- 
tary after  another  Avalked  in.  Sometimes  they  came  in 
little  companies,  and  every  time  Dr.  Hogg  would  get  up 
and  salute  them.  It  would  never  have  done  to  let  them 
sit  quietly  down,  no  matter  if  it  did  cause  confusion.  And 
then  immediately  the  servants  would  come  with  cofllee  and 
sherbet.  At  every  such  batch  of  new  comers — Moslem  of- 
ficials I  mean — you  should  have  seen  the  faces  of  Miss 
McKown  and  Dr.  and  Mrs.  Hogg.  Fourteen  j^ears  ago 
the  former  spent  the  heat  of  her  first  summer  here  teach- 
ing some  days  hvo,  and  some  days  three  little  girls  of  five  or 
six  years  of  age,  and  was  hissed  at,  reviled  and  stoned  in  the 
streets,  so  that  she  did  not  dare  to  go  out  without  a  man 
to  protect  her.  Now,  there  was  a  small  sea  of  heads  before 
her,  made  up  of  Protestants,  Copts  and  Moslems,  men  of 
every  degree  and  rank  in  the  city — Copts  who  have  hated 
and  opposed  our  work  for  years,  and  every  Moslem  official  of 
high  position  in  the  city  except  the  Governor.  These  Moslems 
make  a  most  delightful  audience.     They  sit  quietly,  listen 


MRS.    MAKY   GALLOWAY   GIFFEN.  195 

patiently,  ask  questions  and  sometimes  give  the  right  an- 
swer when  a  student  is  incorrect.  Copts,  on  the  contrary, 
are  most  objectionable  and  undesirable.  In  their  churches 
they  never  sit  down,  nobody  listens,  every  one  talks  and 
every  one  tries  to  get  a  better  place  than  his  neighbor. 
However  we  felt  at  first  that  everybody  was  ivelcome,  and  the 
examination  went  well.  Mrs.  Hogg  and  I  examined  our 
own  classes.  To  me  it  was  a  great  trial  and  the  dread  of 
it  for  days  before  was  most  oppressive.  No  lady  had  ever 
done  it  in  Osiout  until  this  year  and  then  it  was  frightful 
to  think  of  talking  Arabic  to  the  assembled  learning  of  the 
whole  city.  None  of  us  used  a  book  in  any  department 
except  in  English.  I  had  not  intended  to  do  it,  but  I  saw 
that  I  must  talk  faster  and  louder  than  the  men  around 
me  if  I  held  my  ground  and  I  did  not  open  the  book  in 
Arabic. 

On  Friday  the  crowd  was  immense,  and  it  became  im- 
possible for  one  twentieth  part  to  hear  or  even  sec  what 
was  going  on. 

But  the  great  event  of  the  day  was  the  exhibiti(m  of  the 
girl's  work.  Miss  McKown  had  a  quantity  of  black  cloth 
which  was  sent  her  for  the  school  from  Scotland.  This 
was  tacked  over  the  walls  of  our  largest  school  room  and 
fancy  work  pinned  on  it.  Then  therp  were  little  tables  in 
the  corners  and  a  long  one  in  the  centre  of  the  room  all 
nicely  filled  with  many  kinds  of  work.  In  a  side  room 
we  put  all  the  sewing  consisting  of  bed  covers,  underwear 
and  many  dresses.  But  we  did  not  dare  to  let  everybody 
come  up  at  once ;  so  before  the  invitation  was  given  w'e 
had  guards  stationed  at  the  foot  of  the  stairs  and  at  every 
door,  and  only  admitted  about  thirty-five  or  foi'ty  at  a 
time.  It  was  almost  amusing  to  see  the  amazement  of  the 
Moslems  that  our  girls  could  do  so  much  nice  work,  and 


196  LIFE   AND   LETTERS   OF 

one  of  the  dignitaries  asked  for  a  little  fancy  tobacco  ponch 
after  it  had  been  exhibited.  We  went  round  with  them 
and  explaimed  everything  and  when  they  were  satisfied  we 
took  them  through  the  sleeping  rooms.  These  were  the 
greatest  wonder  of  all.  The  first-class  boarders  who  pay 
pretty  well,  sleep  in  the  room  with  the  Syrian  teacher  and 
their  beds  have  white  covers  on  them.  One  of  the  men 
stopped  in  this  room  and  exclaimed,  "  Is  everybody  here, 
in  such  a  place  as  this,  and  our  daughters  staying  at 
home !  "  The  second-class  girls  sleep  down  stairs  and  have 
only  a  comfort  on  their  beds — all  the  bedsteads  being  a 
gift  from  Miss  Wolfe,  of  New  York — but  the  rooms  are  as 
clean  and  neat  as  the  others  and  as  such  are  wonders  to 
most  Egyptians.  From  this  part  of  the  house  the  men 
were  passed  out  of  the  back  door  into  the  street  and  here 
we  had  to  have  guards  again  to  keep  others  from  coming 
in  there.  Sometimes  the  guards  would  be  almost  overpow- 
ered and  once  they  sent  to  say  they  were  worn  out  contend- 
ing against  the  people  for  after  "  the  big  men  "  had  passed 
up  the  people  lost  all  sense  of  decency  and  every  man 
fought  his  way  to  the  front  and  was  literally  pushed  up  the 
stairs.  Almost  every  one  who  wore  a  turban — rolls  and 
rolls  of  twisted  cloth  over  a  tarboosh — came  into  the  first 
room  adjusting  his  head  gear  and  panting  as  if  he  had  been 
running  a  foot  race. 

After  candle  lighting  there  was  an  exhibition  of  ora- 
tions, dialogues,  &c.,  and  at  the  close  two  wealthy  men  pre- 
sented prize  books  to  boys  and  girls  to  the  value  of  forty 
dollars.  The  name  of  each  student  was  called  and  he  was 
required  to  come  forward  and  receive  his  book.  The  big 
Moslems  were  all  sitting,  and  the  person  who  was  distrib- 
uting the  books  hindered  them  from  seeing  the  girls  as 
they  came  for  their  books.     So  they  took  hold  of  the  man 


MRS.    MARY   GALLOWAY   GIFFEN.  197 

aud  pulled  him  to  the  otlxer  side,  so  that  they  could  see, 
and  during  the  whole  examination  Dr.  Hogg  said  that 
there  was  quite  a  marked  preference  for  hearing  the  girls. 

At  the  close  of  the  exhibition  the  French  teacher  in- 
vited the  audience  to  Avait  in  an  open  space  outside  to 
witness  the  sending  up  of  another  balloon.  While  they 
were  making  ready.  Dr.  Hogg  stood  with  us,  and,  looking 
out  from  his  study  window  on  the  hundreds  below — 
amounting  to  a  thousand  or  more — said  that  he  had  never 
seen  such  an  assembly  in  Osiout.  Next  year  the  gentle- 
men say  they  will  issue  invitations  to  individuals  by  name 
and  not  admit  three  times  the  number  of  people  who  can 
sit  down  in  the  church.  But  oh,  the  change  from  the  days 
when  the  touch  of  a  Protestant  was  contamination  !  Then 
it  was  "  the  Nicodemuses  "  who  came  to  the  mission,  and 
now,  as  Arabs  say,  "all  the  world"  came  to  see  our 
schools. 

Dr.  Hogg  thinks  the  girls  quite  enjoyed  the  freedom 
and  novelty  of  the  thing,  for  indeed  it  was  a  most  unheard 
of  performance  in  this  part  of  the  world,  and  I  doubt  ex- 
ceedingly if  any  other  hundred  "  college  boys"  ever  did 
gaze  at  a  set  of  school  girls  with  so  much  surprise  and  sat- 
isfaction before.  Once  when  I  was  traveling,  a  physician 
told  me  a  story  of  a  boy  who  had  been  shut  up  until  he  was 
seventeen  years  old  by  a  misanthropical  father  to  save  him 
from  the  snare  in  which  he  had  been  caught  and  ruined. 
At  seventeen,  however,  the  boy  escaped  his  prison  bounds, 
and  innocently  encountered  a  pretty  school  girl.  He  ran 
immediately  to  his  father,  described  the  wonderful  sight 
in  extravagant  terms  and  demanded  what  it  could  be.  In 
trreat  alarm  his  flither  informed  him  that  it  was  a  bird. 
Whereupon  the  boy  clapped  his  hands  aud  cried  with 
great  enthusiasm,  "  Buy  me  one,  papa !  "     So  these  boys 


198  LIFE   AND   LETTERS   OF 

know  our  uuveiled  girls  are  not  birds,  but  anybody's  sis- 
ters except  their  own  are  almost  as  novel  a  sight  as  this 
boy's  bird. 

In  mission  work  the  importance  of  schools  can  hardly 
be  overestimate*!.  It  is  by  their  influence  that  mission- 
aries best  succeed  in  breaking  down  the  entrenched,  and 
nearly  impregnable  customs  of  the  East — customs  of 
3,000  years  standing — and  of  imparting  Western  and 
Christian  ideas  of  progress  and  morality.  Intense  con- 
servatism, a  complete  stagnation  in  everything  which  con- 
stitutes true  progress,  either  in  the  moral  or  mental  world, 
is  a  distinguishing  feature  of  the  masses  in  Egypt. 

In  these  schools  the  character  of  every  pupil  is  more  or 
less  modeled  after  the  Christian  idea,  and  they  go  forth, 
each  a  missionary,  propagating  these  opinions.  "With 
such  agencies  at  work,  the  undermining  and  grad- 
ual but  complete  overthrow  of  the  old  superstitions  and 
tyrannies  of  such  countries  as  Egypt,  is  but  a  question  of 
time.  Give  a  man  a  Christian  education,  and  you  destroy 
forever  in  his  mind  the  old  Eastern  idea  of  woman's  sub- 
jection and  inferiority.  Educate  his  wife  and  you  have  a 
Christian  fomily — a  miniature  church.  It  is  of  prime  ne- 
cessity then,  that  the  customs  in  regard  to  the  seclusion  and 
inferiority  of  females  be  broken  down.  Before  Egypt  can 
become  a  nation  in  the  true  sense  of  the  term,  there  must 
be  the  existence  and  influence  of  the  family,  as  constituted 
upon  the  Christian  idea — one  husband  and  one  wife — and 
the  recognized  equality  of  both. 

The  training  in  these  mission  schools  is  one  of  the  most 
successful  means  of  instilling  these  desired  ideas,  hence 
the  time  and  labor  devoted  to  make  them  effective  and 
influential." 

Since  the  above  was  Avritteu,  the  following  letter,  illus- 
trative of  much  there  said,  has  been  received  : 


MRS.    MARY   GALLOWAY   GIFFEN.  199 

"  Dear  Mrs.  Balph : — As  you  and  other  friends  have 
requested  nie  to  give  you  a  letter  for  your  Society,  it  has 
occurred  to  me  that  perhaps  I  coukl  not  better  interest 
you  than  by  giving  you  some  account  of  the  efforts  of  our 
church  members  here  in  supporting  and  cari*ying  on  pri- 
mary schools  independently  of  the  mission. 

This  work  was  begun  about  three  years  ago  by  two  of 

our  wealthiest  members.     They  each  took  a  school,  rented 

a  house,  supplied  water,  &c.,  and  agreed  to  pay  the  salaries 

of  as  many  teachers  as  the  congregation  might  judge  to 

be  necessary.     Not  long  after  a  third  school  was  organized 

to  be  supported  by  a  wealthy  Copt  who  believes  many  of 

our  Protestant  doctrines  but  is  not  in  connection  with  the 

Church.     This  was  a  school  for  boys  and  it  was  located  in 

a  quarter  where  there  are  many  Moslems  in  the  hope  that 

it  might  be  the  entering  wedge  to  work  among  many  of  these 

unapproachable  jieople.  Then  about  nine  months  ago  a girh' 

school  was  organized  in  the  same  quarter,  to  be  supported 

by  one  of  the  younger  and  less  wealthy  members  of  the 

congregation.     This  school  was  placed  in  two  small  rooms 

above  the  boys'  school,  and  one  of  the  advanced  girls  from 

the  boarding  school  was  procured  for  a  teacher,  at  a  salary 

of  two  hundred  dollars  per  month.     She   was,  however, 

very  happy  to  secure  the  position,  as  there  was  no  other 

means  open   to   her   of  earning   so   much.     She   opened 

school  with  six  or  eight  little  girls,  from  six  to  ten  years  of 

age.      None  of  them  had  ever  been  in  a  school  room,  and 

none  of  them  knew  the  alphabet.     So  she  worked  along 

with  them  during  the  hot  weather,  in  the  primer,  while  we 

were  away  in  Ramie,  but  when  we  returned  and  the  heat 

had  subsided  enough  for  me  to  go  out  in  the  afternoons  I 

went  over  to  see  how  she  was  progressing. 

I  had  to  enter  through  the  boys'  school,  which  is  on  the 

H 


200  LIFE   AND    LETTERS   OF 

ground  iu  an  open  square  or  court.  On  three  sides  the 
square  is  roofed  over  and  rooms  built  above,  forming  thus 
three  sheltered  places  below  for  the  boys,  from  the  heat  of 
the  sun — the  whole  amounting  to  perhaps  twenty-five  or 
thirty  feet  square.  Here  I  found  ninety  boys  and  four 
teachers,  each  having  a  class. 

The  head  of  the  school  is  a  bliyul  man,  who  teaches 
Arabic,  reading  and  grammar  and  gives  religious  instruc- 
tion. I  suppose  he  knows  almost  every  chapter  and  verse 
in  the  Bible,  and  after  the  boys  have  learned  the  alphabet 
he  gives  them  a  Testament  and  starts  them  to  spelling  the 
Avords.  Then  by  the  time  they  have  spelled  through  four 
or  five  chapters,  they  are  required  to  go  back  and  read 
them,  and  it  is  surprising  what  rapid  progress  they  often 
make.  Sometimes  when  I  go  in  a  boy  will  move  out  of  his 
place  to  get  a  better  look  at  me,  but  in  an  instant  the 
Aj'cef — which  is  a  name  common  to  educated  blind  men — 
will  point  to  him  and  require  him  to  sit  down  immediately, 
frequently  calling  him  by  name.  No  other  teacher  keeps 
as  good  order  in  his  class  as  he,  and  none  of  them  can  keep 
the  school  so  quiet. 

A  narrow,  dark,  mud  staii'-case  leads  up  to  the  girls' 
school,  and  here  the  first  time  I  went  I  found  Fardoos 
(Paradise),  the  teacher,  well  employed  with  about  thirty 
girls.  They  were  crowded  into  one  room  about  ten  feet 
square,  sitting  on  high  benches,  packed  in  as  closely  as  they 
could  sit,  with  only  room  to  pass  from  the  door  in  front  of 
the  table  and  down  by  the  ends  of  the  seats  to  a  little  dark 
room  used  for  storing  away  shawls,  and  little  bundles  of 
coarse  dinner.  There  was  no  place  for  them  to  play,  or 
walk  about  except  on  the  little  roof  This  would  be  com- 
fortable in  winter,  but  unendurable  under  a  summer  sun. 
About  ten  of  the  girls  had  learned  enough  to  spell  and 


MRS.    MARY   GALLOWAY    GIFFEN.  201 

prono*f^iice  pretty  well,  but  noue  had  yet  been  required  to 
read.  I  also  found  that  the  teacher  had  followed  the  na- 
tive custom  of  hearing  each  of  the  thirty  separately  and 
that  it  took  the  whole  forenoon  to  give  them  all  one  lesson. 
So  I  had  to  grade  them  in  classes,  and  this  worked  quite 
an  improvement.  Then  I  procured  thread  and  knitting 
needles,  and  cut  and  basted  patch-work  for  them  and  al- 
lowed them  to  spend  half  the  afternoon  in  this  work,  which 
pleased  them  very  much.  By  the  close  of  the  year  the 
first  class  had  read  twelve  chapters  in  John,  and  reviewed 
two  or  three  times,  and  had  committed  beautifully  two- 
thirds  of  Brown's  Catechism. 

Towards  the  last  of  January  of  this  year  it  was  arranged 
to  have  an  examination  of  the  two  schools  together,  and  as 
it  would  not  be  proper  for  the  teacher  of  the  girls  to  open 
her  lips  or  show  her  face  in  the  presence  of  the  men,  I 
agreed  to  examine  the  girls,  though  it  was  no  small  ordeal 
before  an  Osiout  audience.  To  our  surprise  all  the  wealthy 
influential  Copts,  and  Protestants,  and  many  Moslems  at- 
tended. The  whole  place  and  its  surroundings  was  packed, 
a  space  of  only  a  few  feet  square  being  left  in  the  center 
for  the  classes  to  stand. 

I  wish  you  could  have  heard  the  Areef's  examination  of 
his  advanced  class  of  little  boys  in  the  Testament.  He  be- 
gan by  asking  in  what  language,  to  whom,  and  when 
each  part  of  it  was  written;  how  many  miracles  tl^ 
Saviour  performed,  where  they  Avere  wrought,  ana 
what  were  the  attending  circumstances  ;  how  many  times 
and  to  whom  Christ  appeared  after  the  resurrection,  &c., 
&c.  Then  he  examined  them  by  calling  on  them  to  read 
the  account — for  instance — of  the  raising  of  Lazarus,  the 
conversation  with  "  the  woman  of  Samaria,"  the  turning 
of  water  into  wine,  <fec.,  the  boys  being  required  themselves 


202  LIFE   AND    LETTERS   OF 

to  find  the  chapter  and  verse.  Mr.  Giffen  said  tjiat  it 
quite  reminded  him  of  a  theological  examination  at  home. 
But  you  cannot  imagine  how  much  interest  was  added  to  it 
all  by  the  person  of  the  Areef  himself.  He  was  dressed 
in  a  long  loose  gown,  the  sleeves  of  which  were  nearly  a 
yard  wide.  As  he  stood  before  his  class  very  erect,  and 
with  his  sightless  eyes  always  seeming  to  look  up  to  heaven, 
he  was  a  most  interesting-looking  character. 

The  girls  and  boys  alternated,  and  although  the  classes 
were  all  primary,  yet  everybody  gave  the  most  patient  at- 
tention, and  those  who  could  asked  questions.  But  what 
most  surprised  me  was  the  notice  taken  of  the  (/iris.  You 
know  women  are  here  universally  regarded  as  inferiors, 
as  having  little  mind,  and  as  having  no  right  to  compete 
with  men  in  anything.  But  the  audience  at  this  examina- 
tion manifested  the  most  decided  partiality  for  the  girls — 
favored  them  in  every  way  and  showed  the  same  tenderness 
for  the  little  frightened  things  that  we  are  accustomed  to 
see  at  home. 

When  all  was  over  it  was  past  three  o'clock,  and  though 
we  had  been  there  since  niiie  o'clock  no  movement  was  made 
to  go  home.  In  a  little  while  speeches  were  called  for  from 
the  native  gentlemen,  and  after  three  or  four  had  been  made, 
in  which  honorable  mention  was  made  of  the  two  support- 
ers of  the  two  schools.  Dr.  Hogg  arose  and  gave  a  graphic 
account  of  the  opening  of  the  first  Protestant  school  in 
Egypt  away  in  Alexandria  twenty-two  years  ago,  ivith 
eifjht  pupils.  He  recalled  the  opposition,  the  trials,  the 
persecutions  which  had  been  endured,  ending  with  the 
statement  that  there  were  now  more  than  thirty  Protestant 
schools  in  the  Province  of  Osiout  alone,  most  of  them  sup- 
ported and  conducted  by  natives  of  the  country.  He 
called  upon  them  as  patriots,  to  see  to  it  that  not  only  their 


MRS.    MAKY    GALLOWAY    GIFFEN.  203 

own  children,  but  those  of  their  neighbors  were  educated, 
and  chjsed  by  assuring  them  that  the  prosperity  of  their 
country  did  not  depend  on  Rivers  AVilson  from  whom  they 
were  expecting  so  much,  but  upon  the  schools  of  Er/i/pt." 


CHAPTER  XX. 

EASTERN    CUSTOMS,  AS    ILLUSTRATIVE   OF    THE   BIBLE. 

"  AVhen  I  was  a  little  girl  I  used  to  wonder  if  Ephron 
the  Hittite  was  not  a  very  hypocritical  nian  in  offering 
Abraham  the  Cave  of  Machpelah  for  nothing — distinctlv 
taking  the  "  sons  of  his  people  "  to  witness  that  it  \\as  a 
free  gift,  and  afterwards  when  Abraham  had  insisted  upon 
buying  it,  asking  what  was  no  doubt  an  exorbitant  price, 
covered  over  with  "  What  is  that  betwixt  me  and  thee?" 
But  here  it  is  the  custom  of  the  seller  to  say,  "  Take  it,  take 
it!  nevermind  the  money;  that  is  nothing."  And  once 
or  twice  Mr.  Giffen  has  apparently  accepted  the  offer, 
picked  up  the  article  and  started  off  with  it.  Then  you 
could  have  heard  some  pleading  to  get  him  to  come  back. 
A  price  is  then  set  upon  it,  and  usually  this  is  about- 
tivice  what  they  will  take.  In  that  case,  if  you  know  the 
value  of  the  article,  you  need  not  say  anything  at  all  ; 
just  Avalk  off,  and  nine  cases  out  of  ten  the  shopman  will 
run  after  you  and  inquire  what  you  ivill  rjive.  If  Abraham 
had  not  been  in  affliction,  I  feel  almost  sure  he  might  have 
bought  the  Cave  for  two  hundred  instead  of  the  four  hun- 
dred shekels  of  silver. 

One  morning  last  week  the  Bible  lesson  in  the  chapel 
included  the  request  which  a  man  made  to  Jesus :  "  Suffer 


204  LIFE    AND    LETTERS   OF 

me  first  to  go  and  bury  my  father."  The  explanation 
usually  given  of  this  in  commentaries  was  never  very  sat- 
isfactory to  me.  But  Moallim  Moosa  put  a  new  phase  on 
it  for  me.  He  asked  the  boys  if  they  supposed  the  man's 
father  Avas  really  dead.  They  said,  No,  they  supposed  not. 
He  then  said,  No,  he  wasn't.  It  merely  meant  his  father 
was  an  old  man.  He  might  have  been  infirm  ;  his  death 
might  have  seemed  probable,  or  he  might  live  some  years. 
In  any  case  the  greatest  respect  the  son  could  pay  his 
father  would  be  to  be  there  when  he  died  and  give  him 
honorable  l)urial.  But  in  this  instance  it  seemed  evident 
that  the  man  made  this  custom  a  cloak  or  pretense  for  ne- 
glecting a  present  duty.  The  boys  seemed  to  see  no  difiiculty 
in  the  matter  at  all.  It  was  all  in  strict  keeping  with  their 
own  styles  of  speech.  They  have  a  proverb  that  "  the 
way  to  honor  the  dead  is  to  bury  them."  During  the 
meeting  in  Osiout,  just  as  Presbytery  had  taken  a  vote  to 
admit  one  of  the  students  to  the  theological  class,  a  mes- 
senger came  for  the  young  man  to  go  home,  saying  his 
father  was  very  sick  and  wished  him.  All  knew  that  was 
the  Arab  style  of  saying  the  father  Avas  dead.  It  was  but 
two  hours'  ride  to  the  village,  and  Dr.  Watson  started 
Avith  the  boy  immediately,  but  when  they  arrived  the  man 
had  been  buried  some  time. 

Perhaps  you  may  remember  a  letter  of  Dr.  Lansing's 
published  in  the  Instructor,  a  year  or  two  ago,  giving  an 
account  of  a  man  who  had  been  a  soldier,  but  being  dis- 
abled had  been  compelled  to  cut  stone  in  the  mountains, 
and  who  had  in  a  wonderful  way  been  brought  to  accept 
the  truth.  He  works  all  day  in  the  quarries,  and  fre- 
quently comes  to  Dr.  Lansing's  after  night.  While  I  was 
there  he  came  in  great  distress.  His  son  was  with  him — a 
slight  boy  of  fourteen.     The  family  lived  in  LTpper  Egypt 


MRS.   MARY   GALLOWAY   GIFPEN.  205 

and  the  boy  had  run  away  from  home  to  keep  the  officers 
from  seizing  him  for  the  army.  His  father  could  not  find 
him  support  or  employment,  and  he  brought  him  to  Dr. 
Lansing.  After  the  case  was  disposed  of,  the  usual  relig- 
ious conversation  began,  ending  with  prayer.  At  such 
times  the  man  generally  brought  some  other  person  with 
him  from  the  quarries,  and  both  would  sleep  there  and 
leave  before  day  for  their  work  ;  and  even  when  the  relig- 
ious talk  and  prayers  had  been  extended,  Mrs.  Lansing 
said  the  light  in  their  room  would  still  be  burning 
when  she  would  retire,  and  she  could  hear  the  murmur 
of  his  voice  as  he  read  and  explained  some  part  of  the 
Bible  to  his  companion.  The  night  he  came  with  his  son 
Mrs.  L.  took  Mr.  A.  and  myself  in  the  study  to  see  them 
as  they  would  never  come  to  the  table,  and  there  were  hoik 
father  and  son  xvearing  raiment  of  camels'  hair,  tvith  leath- 
ern girdles  around  their  waists.  We  made  a  remark  about 
it,  and  Dr.  L.  said,  "  Yes,  that  one  coarse  garment  was 
their  only  clothing,  and  that  the  similarity  in  raiment  was 
not  the  only  resemblance  to  John  the  Baptist."  No  doubt 
this  man  and  others  like  him,  often  think  of  the  poverty 
of  John,  of  the  disciples,  and  of  their  Master  and  find 
comfort  in  it.  How  much  better  they  can  understand 
some  things  in  the  Bible  than  many  of  our  Western  Chris- 
tians who  wear  "  purple  and  fine  linen  and  fare  sumptu- 
ously every  day  " — who,  Avhen  they  read  the  description  of 
John's  raiment,  naturally  conclude  that  he  was  a  hermit 
and  denied  himself  better  clothing  voluntarily.  People 
in  America  are  not  accustomed  to  find  acuteness  of  mind 
associated  with  poverty  so  great  as  to  admit  of  only  one 
coarse  hair  garment,  but  here  we  often  see  it  and  have 
therefore  little  difficulty  in  imagining  John  the  Baptist  as 
much  such  a  man  as  our  poor  friend  in  the  quarries. 


206  LIFE   AND    LETTERS   OP 

I  think  there  are  very  few  customs  described  in  the 
Bible  which  are  not  j^retty  well  understood  by  the  people 
here.  When  told  of  some  of  these  perhaps  they  might 
say,  "  O  that's  an  old  fashion,"  but  still  they  know  of  it, 
while  many  are  current  still,  exactly  as  they  were  then. 
There  must  therefore  be  a  meaning,  an  internal  evidence 
in  the  Bible  to  these  people,  which  Western  Christians 
never  perceive. 

The  more  we  see  of  the  people  here  the  miore  evident 
does  it  become  that  the  Bible  was  written  by  and  for  Ori- 
entals, and  the  more  perfectly  do  they  seem  to  illustrate 
those  old  characters.  In  consequence  many  of  our  im- 
pressions of  Bil>le  worthies  have  been  considerably  modi- 
fied. 

I  have  often  heard  great  emphasis  laid  on  the  saluta- 
tion of  Boaz  to  his  reapers,  and  their  equally  pious  reply, 
as  indicating  a  very  happy  state  of  society.  But  the  fact 
is  there  is  not  a  particle  of  religion  in  the  matter.  Boaz 
simply  meant  to  say  "  Good  morning  "  to  his  laborers — a 
thing  never  neglected  here — and  they  only  answered  in 
the  prescribed  form.  The  mass  of  the  people  do  not  knoxo 
that  their  salutations,  exclamations,  good  wishes,  &c.,  have 
or  admit  of  any  other  meaning  than  the  sense  in  which 
they  use  them.  When  I  went  to  Mansoora  I  was  shocked 
to  hear  one  of  our  members  say  to  another  "  Yallah," 
Avhen  he  Avished  to  start  after  a  call.  I  asked  my  teacher 
what  it  meant.  He  said,  "  Let  us  go."  I  affirmed  that 
the  man  said  "  O  God."  "  O  no,"  he  replied,  "  it  don't 
mean  that  Avhen  we  use  it."  The  same  teacher  would 
always  exclaim  "  Ullah  !  "  if  surprised,  as  in  case  of  meet- 
ing any  one  suddenly,  and  he  and  others  like  him  being 
often  in  the  house,  a  little  mission  child,  which  was  just 
beginning  to  talk,  got  that  among  its  first  Avords,  and  if 


MRS.    MARY   GALLOWAY    GIFFEX.  207 

anyone  came  in  unexpectedly  would  exclaim  "Ullah" 
with  the  most  i)erf'ect  imitation  of  the  native  tone  and 
manner. 

Orientals  are  exceedinghj  polite,  but  to  be  so  they  viud 
refer  everything  to  God,  must  connect  His  name  and  at- 
tributes with  it  in  some  wa3^  No  matter  how  careless, 
impi'ovident.  unreligious  or  even  openly  wicked  a  man 
may  be,  he  has  an  unfailing  resource  in  any  calamity. 
"  Ullah  kareem  " — "God  is  liberal  or  generous" — mean- 
ing He  will  provide  for  us.  One  who  only  understood  the 
language  without  knowing  anything  of  Eastern  character, 
would  be  almost  sure  to  exclaim,  "  AVhat  perfect  resigna- 
tion to  God's  will !  "  The  most  pious  ejaculations,  or  what 
would  seem  such  to  us,  are  showered  on  everybody  by 
everybody. 

New  missionaries  are  usually  very  much  shocked  by 
these  customs.  What  seems  very  pious  in  the  Bible  seems 
very  profane  when  constantly  tossed  from  lip  to  lip  in 
every  day  life,  and  they  set  themselves  against  it,  but  by 
the  time  they  get  a  moderate  use  of  the  language  they  see 
that  the  customs  which  have  stood  for  thousands  of  years 
are  likely  to  stand  a  Avhile  longer,  and  insensibly  they 
glide  into  the  habit  of  saying  some  of  the  same  things. 
Such  things  are  the  language  of  the  people  and  nothing 
else  is  intelligible. 

If  Orientals  are  not  angry  they  are  very  scrupulous  in 
bestowing  honorable  titles  on  each  other.  I  have  heard 
ministers  refer  to  the  language  of  the  sons  of  Heth  when 
Abraham  wished  to  purchase  the  Cave  of  Machpelah  from 
them  as  evidence  of  the  high  esteem  in  which  the  Patri- 
arch was  held.  No  doubt  he  was  highly  regarded,  but  the 
language  is  not  certain  proof  of  it.  Every  man  here  is, 
or  may  be,  addressed  as  "  Ya  Seedi " — ray  Lord.     It  is 


208  LIFE   AND    LETTERS   OF 

merely  a  polite  address  much  used  by  superiors  to  inferi- 
ors and  much  more  so  by  equals.  Every  woman  so  ad- 
dresses her  husband.  Sarah  called  Abraham  "  My  Lord," 
honoring  him  of  course,  for  no  woman  here  would  think 
of  imagining  herself  as  good  as  her  husband,  but  I  doubt 
if  Sarah  ever  heard  a  husband  addressed  in  any  other  way. 
Abraham  would  call  her  "Ya  biutee" — my  girl — or  at 
least  all  Arab  husbands  do,  provided  they  are  in  a  pleas- 
ant humor.  If  not  the  wife,  like  the  rest  of  the  female 
servants,  is  just  screamed  at  as  "  Ya  bint,"  when  anything 
is  in  requisition.  The  ee  termination  is  a  little  like  our  y 
and  indicates  the  first  person,  and  if  added  to  a  noun 
means  "  my,"  and  also  has  in  some  instances  something  of 
an  affectionate  tone. 

Extravagant  in  the  use  of  polite  terms  when  pleased. 
Orientals  when  angry  with  each  other,  surpass  the  world 
in  ability  to  heap  up  abusive  epithets.  The  acme  of  their 
wrath,  the  very  culmination  of  hate  and  contempt  is  to  call 
a  man  a  hog — "  Ya  chanzeer," — he  may  be  a  dog,  or  the 
son  of  a  dog,  but  there  can  be  nothing  left  unsaid  when  he 
has  been  called  chanzeer.  Swine's  flesh  is  not  very  abund- 
ant here,  and  most  Americans  often  long  for  it  and  would 
have  it  were  it  not  so  expensive,  but  I  do  not  feel  comforta- 
ble to  have  natives  see  us  eat  it,  and  will  I  think  soon  come 
to  dislike  it.  All  eastern  j^eople  regard  it  as  unclean,  and 
I  have  to  keep  my  thoughts  busy  about  something  else  to 
eat  it  in  comfort.  You  have  no  idea  how  it  sounds  to  hear 
the  cook  talk  about  lahm  chanzeer,  when  he  means  pork. 

Reviling  is  one  of  the  greatest  sins  of  the  east.  It  is  an 
Oriental's  sweetest  revenge.  It  does  his  whole  soul  good 
to  curse  your  father  and  your  father's  father,  but  you  he 
never  curses.  I  have  seen  men  stand  and  scream  "  You 
son  of  a  dog,  son  of  a  dog  "  till  their  breath  was  gone. 


MRS.    MARY   GALLOWAY   GIFFEX.  209 

Then  they  would  call  on  the  Lord  to  curse  your  father. 
These  two  expressions  indeed  are  in  every  child's  mouth 
and  are  heard  at  every  corner. 

As  I  said  before  an  Arab  does  not  speak  to  his  wife  as  if 
she  was  his  equal,  nor  does  she  take  his  name  as  we  do.  If 
you  inquire  for  her  where  she  is  not  known  by  her  given 
name  you  may  distinguish  her  as  "  the  wife  of"  such  an  one. 
But  her  real  name,  her  womanly  title,  she  gets  from  the 
name  of  her  child.  Should  the  first  one  be  a  girl  it  is  a 
great  mkfortune,  and  deeply  lamented,  but  still  the  woman 
takes  the  name  of  its  mother,  until  the  Wirth  of  a  boy. 
Then  there  is  a  great  feast,  the  most  extravagant  joy  is 
both  felt  and  expressed,  and  ever  after  the  mother  is  known 
by  the  name  of  her  son.  Two  years  ago  when  I  used  to  go 
with  Mrs.  Ewing  to  Carmoose  there  was  a  little  woman 
there  learning  to  read,  who  had  a  babe  name  Ruf  ka  or  Re- 
becca. She  was  always  spoken  of  as  "  Om  Ruf ka " — 
Mother  of  Rebecca.  Last  fall  when  I  went  back  there 
alone  I  found  I  had  forgotten  the  location  of  her  house, 
and  went  into  some  others  to  inquire — the  families  being 
related,  I  asked  for  "Om  Rufka's"  house.  Not  one  of 
them  seemed  to  know  anything  about  such  a  person,  and 
as  I  did  not  know  the  name  of  her  husband  I  was  about 
giving  it  up  in  despair.  However  I  concluded  to  make 
another  effort,  and  made  the  description  so  plain  that  they 
were  obliged  to  understand — which  I  am  confident  they 
had  done  from  the  first.  The  woman's  mother-in-law  then 
growled  out  in  no  gracious  tone  "  You  want  "  Om  Ilra- 
heem."  Instantly  I  was  enlightened.  A  boy  had  been 
added  to  the  family  since  I  had  been  there,  Om  Rufka's 
"  reproach  had  been  taken  away,"  and  her  relatives  could 
not  help  resenting  my  ignorance. 

It  is  a  very  rare  thing  here  to  see  a  man  and  his  wife  go 
anywhere  together.     Even  Avhen  both  are  at  church  the 


210  LIFE    AXIJ    I-ETTERS   OF 

husband  will  either  go  off  with  a  company  of  men  or  linger 
behind  to  talk  to  some  one,  leaving  his  wife  both  to  come 
and  go  alone  and  also  to  carry  the  baby  herself.  Then  she 
does  not  sit  down  to  eat  with  him.  Very,  very  few  natives 
have  any  table  except  a  little  thing  a  foot  high  on  which 
the  one  dish  is  placed.  This  is  placed  on  a  mat  and  the  hus- 
band and  sons  gather  round  it  sitting  on  the  floor  and  dip- 
ping their  bread  into  the  dish,  always  u'ith  the  right  hand. 
The  wife  and  daughters  stand  around  and  serve — that  is 
replenishing  the  supply  of  bread  and  water  and  make  cof- 
fee and  bring  the  pipes  and  tobacco  after  the  meal.  When 
all  that  is  over  and  the  men  and  boys  have  gone  to  sleep 
or  to  their  business,  the  women  and  girls  eat  ivhat  is  left. 
But  I  suppose  of  course  if  there  isn't  enough  of  that  they 
can  have  the  privilege  of  cooking  more. 

A  few  minutes  ago  I  opened  my  door,  and  hearing  a 
voice  I  went  through  the  next  room  to  the  hall  door  to  find 
what  it  was.     I  soon  discovered  it  Avas  the  Moslem  bow- 
wab*  praying.    He  is  quite  young  and  excruciatingly  defer- 
ential, always  takes  off  his  shoes  before  coming  towards  us, 
walks  backwards  when  leaving  our  presence,  and  rises  the 
moment  we  come  to  the  hall  door,  though  it  is  fifty  feet 
from  his  seat,  excejd  when  he  w  praying.     Then  he  doesn't 
notice  us  in  any  way.     He  keeps  his  rug  beside  him,  and 
at  the  regular  hours  puts  it  on  the  floor,  turns  his  face  to 
.  Mecca  and  prays  aloud  with  amazing  energy  and  earnest- 
ness.    Sometimes  he  seems  to  speak,  at  other  times  one 
word  is  repeated  Avith  great  rapidity  just  as  long  as  he  can 
without  breathing  and  at  other  times  it  is  a  kind  of  an  or- 
gan.    Before  beginning  he  always  leaves  the  door  open,  so 
that  he  need  not  stop  to  open  it  for  any  one  wishing  to 
enter  as  he  would  then  be  required  by  the  Koran  to  go 
back  to  the  first  and  repeat  all  he  had  said.     If  we  have 

*  Doorkeejiei-. 


MRS.    MARY    (iAl.r.oW'AV    (JTFFKX.  211 

sent  him  out,  or  he  is  empkiyed  in  his  work  at  the  "  house 
of  prayer  "  he  will  omit  them  then  and  repeat  them  all  at 
night.  And  then  you  .should  hear  the  echoes  he  wake.s 
up  out  there  with  the  grand  roll  of  aUaliu  it  alee,  allahu  11 
azeem. 

It  seems  wonderful  to  us  how  the  Mohammedam  laith  is 
instilled  into  children,  with  what  intendhj  they  believe  in 
it  and  how  entirely  they  are  strangers  to  anything  like 
shame  in  being  seen  worshiping.  They  do  not  slirink 
from  any  okservation.  This  servant  knows  that  we  have 
no  faith  in  hi.s  religion,  that  we  consider  it  the  essence  of  all 
that  is  bad,  and  in  everything  else  he  shows  us  the  most 
unquestioning  deference,  but  when  it  comes  to  the  matter 
of  his  prayers  we  are  absolutely  nothing  in  his  estimation. 

Moslems  pray  anywhere.  (;)ue  day  our  teacher  passed 
one  praying  and  was  excited  to  sto])  and  listen.  And  here 
was  his  petition  :  "  O  God,  destroy  my  enemies,  pluck  out 
their  eyes,  cut  off  their  hands,  break  their  feet  and  crush 
their  heads."  All  this  he  had  arranged  in  rhyme  and  was 
just  going  over  and  over  it.  The  words  of  the  regular 
prayers  are  pi-escribed  by  the  Koran,  but  after  they  are 
said,  anything  else  may  be  added. 

One  day  while  the  servants  were  packing  our  furniture 
in  a  car  Mr.  Gitfen  heard  quite  an  outcry  round  him  and 
soon  saw  that  he  was  giving  great  olfense  somehow.  On 
looking  down  he  noticed  that  he  was  standing  on  one  of  a 
series  of  stones  laid  in  a  row  from  a  water  faucet  to  a 
small  platform  on  which  the  Moslimen  railroad  servants  per- 
formed their  devotions.  Before  every  prayer  they  must 
perform  a  thorough  ablution  in  nnnriiu/  water,  and  then 
must  not  touch  the  ground,  stepping  innnediately  from  the 
bath  with  dripjjing  feet  into  their  shoes,  or  else  on  a 
"  prayer  carpet."     These  men  however  dispense  with  the 


212  LIFE   AND    LETTERS   OF 

carpet  and  have  a  wooden  platform,  used  in  common,  which 
was  reached  from  the  faucet  by  the  stones  on  which  Mr. 
Giffen  had  inadvertently  set  his  irreverent  feet.  He  got 
off  immediately,  and  to  the  indignation  of  the  rest  one  of 
them  said  apologetically,  "  He  doesn't  know,"  and  imme- 
diately they  ran  and  brought  water  and  gave  the  polluted 
stone  a  thorough  scrubbing." 


CHAPTER  XXI. 


LETTER    TO    THE    LADIES     BENEVOLENT   SOCIETY  IN    NEW- 
BERRY,  S.    C, 

"  It  gave  me  great  pleasure  to  hear  through  your  kind 
pastor,  of  the  prosi^erity  of  your  Society,  and  of  the 
very  happy  reflexive  influences  which  you  are  exerting. 
It  is  a  peculiar  treasure  if  in  doing  good  to  others  we  are 
blessed  in  our  own  souls  also.  Many  a  munificent  charity 
has  been  made  to  redound  to  the  glory  of  God,  and  the 
good  of  fellow-mortals,  which  yet  sent  back  no  blessing 
into  the  hand  which  gave  it.  May  this  not  be  your  lot. 
When  you  meet  to  work  and  consult  together  about  the 
best  means  to  be  adopted  for  advancing  the  pecuniary 
interests  of  the  cause  in  which  you  are  engaged,  may  each 
one  of  you  feel  that  you  have  come  together  for  a  far  more 
glorious  purj^ose  than  simply  to  raise  so  much  money. 
May  you  realize  that  you  are  in  the  immediate  service  of 
the  Great  King  to  whom  all  nations  belong. 

All  your  missionary  meetings  are  witnesses  for  Jesus. 
Thev  afiirm  before  men  and  angels  that  vou  believe  in  the 


MRS.    JVIARY   GALLOWAY   GIFFEN.  218 

final  triumph  of  His  kingdom  over  all  the  worlil,  that  He 
is  a  Master  whose  service  is  a  joy  to  your  own  hearts,  and 
that  you  work  and  pray  that  other  sin-sick  souls  may  be 
brought  to  the  Great  Healer. 

And  when  "the  fire  burns"  in  your  own  hearts,  when 
you  are  rejoicing  in  belonging  to  so  great  a  Master,  when 
you  realize  how  glorious  and  all-powerful  He  is — then  my 
friends  pray  for  missionaries,  jn-ay  for  your  own  vimion- 
aries,  for  I  hope  you  now  feel  that  you   have  two  here. 
You  cannot  form  any  idea  of    how  much  we  need    the 
prayers  of  the  people  of  God.     You  think  of  us  as  leav- 
ing home  and  all  we  love  behind  us,  and  perhaps  you  feel 
that  only  a  superior  faith  could  enable  one  to  do  that,  and 
therefore  that  what  we  most  need  is  material  support,  as- 
surance of  Christian  sympathy,  and  the  preserving  care 
of  God  over  us  in  the  long  journey.     I  think  it  is  true 
that  it  requires  genuine  faith  to  enable  one  to  come  forth 
alone  into  such  an  unknown  world  almost ;  but  it  by  no 
means  follows  that  it  is  faith  which  does  not  need  to  be 
strengthened  every  day.     The  great  struggle  which  one 
must  make  in  giving  up  all,  and  yet  keep  natural  emo- 
tions in  subjection,  does  not  always  sensibly  advance  a 
missionary's  divine  life.     In  many  cases  after  the  great 
tension  has  subsided  I  have  no  doubt  that  heart  and  soul 
both  seem  dead.     I  myself  felt  smitten  with  a  paralysis  of 
all  feeling,  and  when  we  landed  in  Egypt  everything  was 
in  "  an  unknown  tongue."     Even  the  family  prayers  were 
in  Arabic.     How^  hard  under  such  circumstances  for  the 
deadened  shriveled  soul  to  get  back  its  life  and  freshness 
again. 

There  is  no  Sabbath  in  the  streets.  There  is  just  as 
much  business  on  that  day  as  on  any  other.  The  shop  win- 
dows are  just  as  gay  with  ribbons,  laces  and  flowers,  as  if 


214  LIFE   AND    LETTERS    OF 

God  claimed  no  part  of  the  day  for  himself.  All  occupa- 
tions go  on  just  the  same,  as  if  the  "  buying  and  selling 
and  getting  gain,"  Avere  the  one  purpose  for  which  the 
world  Avas  created. 

Then,  too,  on  Sabbath,  for  a  long  time  after  we  came, 
we  knew  nothing  of  what  the  minister  was  saying,  and 
even  yet  our  closest  attention  is  necessary  to  make  a  run- 
ning translation.  When  one  has  been  drilled  a  year  and 
a  half  on  pronunciation,  idioms  and  general  construction, 
there  is  such  a  temptation  to  criticize  the  preacher,  to  no- 
tice every  sound  which  he  failed  to  make  distinct  and  to 
wonder  "  why  he  used  such  and  such  a  word  in  such  a 
Avay."  Perhaps  it  is  a  very  profitable  lesson  in  Arabic, 
but  it  is  a  very  small  portion  of  food  which  the  soul  has 
received. 

I  hope  then  you  can  realize  now  something  of  the  diffi- 
culties Avhich  missionaries  encounter  in  their  fii'st  years — 
hoAV  very  much  they  have  to  deaden  and  dAvarf  their  spir- 
itual life.  Of  all  people  Ave  seem  to  need  the  fullest  meas- 
ure of  the  Holy  Spirit.  We  need  it  before  Ave  are  able 
to  Avork  and  Ave  need  it  after  Ave  can  Avork.  We  need  it 
to  save  us  from  despondency  in  our  first  efforts  to  use  a 
neAV  and  exceedingly  diflicult  language,  and  then  Avhen 
you  become  able  to  deal  Avith  the  natives  you  so  much  need 
it  to  enable  you  to  combat  the  false  doctrines  which  cen- 
turies have  implanted  in  them,  and  to  be  able  to  meet  and 
defeat  the  cunning,  deceit  and  falsehood  Avhich  are  parts 
of  the  religion  of  the  East,  and  for  Avhich  I  suppose  there 
is  no  parallel  anyAvhere  else  in  the  world — Avithout  becom- 
ing yourself  like  them. 

If  heaven  blesses  our  labors  to  the  good  of  others  Ave 
are  in  great  danger  of  missing  the  blessing  ourselves. 
Then  pray  much  for  us.     We  endeavor  to  consecrate  our- 


MRS.    xMAKY    GALLOWAY    CilFFEN.  215 

selves  anew  every  day  we  live,  to  feel  that  we  have  no  part 
or  lot  in  this  world's  trade,  commerce,  or  emoluments,  but 
only  to  wo'rk  that  souls  may  be  brought  into  the  kingdom 
«f'  our  Master.     But  we  have  nuich  to  hinder  us. 

Our  mis.-^ion  has  passed  the  persecuting  stage  among  the 
Copts,  and  as  yet  we  can  do  little  among  the  Moslems. 
WHien  the  truth  is  new  and  men  eagerly  embrace  it  in  the 
face  of  great  trials — even  at  the  risk  of  death  itself,  it  be- 
gets an  enthusiasm  in  the  whole  church  which  swallows  up 
self,  lightens  labor  and  increases  faith.  "  Times  of  refresh- 
ing "  like  this  were  enjoyed  here  when  Dr.  Hogg  first 
came  to  Asyoot,  or  rather  a  few  years  afterAvard,  but  now 
we  have  the  far  more  up-hill,  prosaic  work  of  educating 
the  church — just  such  work  as  grieved  the  hearts  of  the  Apos- 
tles when  they  found  their  converts  turning  away  from  the 
truth.  In  this  way  the  present  year  has  been  a  marked  one  in 
our  mission,  but  the  brethren  hope  that  the  results  will  not  be 
as  serious  as  thev  had  reason  to  fear  at  first.  You  see  then 
how  greatbj  Ave  need  your  continual  remembrance  of  us  at 
the  throne  of  grace.  We  regard  our  mission  as  one  of  the 
most  important  in  the  world,  and  yet  we  have  so  much  to 
discourage  us.  You  cannot  guess  how  much  Ave  need  the 
"  Avisdom  of  the  serpent  Avith  the  harmlessness  of  the  dove," 
or  hoAV  much  Ave  Avant  the  faith  Avhich  is  able  to  remove 
mountains  and  cast  them  into  the  sea.  You  cannot  form 
an  idea  of  Avhat  it  is  to  live  in  a  country  Avhere  there  is 
no  Sabbath,  and  Avhere  the  name  of  God  is  more  lightly 
used  than  any  one  in  the  dictionary  ;  nor  canyon  appreciate 
Avhat  it  is  to  spend  years  here  before  you  can  fully  enter  into  the 
meaning  of,  and  enjoy  the  services  of  I'eligion.  All  of  us 
suffer  in  this  Avay,  and  some  missionaries  feel  that  they 
never  can  fully  recover  from  the  injury. 

So  do  not  foi'get  to  pray  for  us.     Without  the  spirit  of 
God  we  can  do  nothing,  and  Avhen  Ave  look  over  our  mission 


216  LIFE   AND    LETTERS   OF 

stations  here,  it  makes  us  feel  as  I  have  often  felt  at 
home  when  looking  upon  a  field  of  corn,  parching  up  in  a 
summer  drought — "  O  !  for  the  rain." 

In  writing  to  these  friends  of  her  childhood  all  barriers 
of  reserve  and  restraint  are  broken  down,  and  we  here  see 
Mrs.  Giffen's  character  as  it  really  was.  They  were  tried 
friends  and  to  them  she  Avrites  in  all  the  unreserved  confidence 
and  sincerity  of  friendship.  We  have  here  a  glimpse  of  her 
character  not  seen  in  any  of  her  jniblic  letters.  The  cur- 
tain of  modesty  and  privacy  is  drawn  aside,  and  we  have 
a  most  distinct  impression  of  tke  strong  yet  dependent 
faith  which  actuated  and  sustained  her  under  her  sore  trials  in 
that  remote  land.  All  noble  natures  shrink  from  display- 
ing to  the  world  the  inner  and  most  sacred  feelings  of 
their  souls,  and  especially  their  communings  with  their 
Maker.  In  no  people  is  this  shrinking  modesty  and  deli- 
cacy more  manifest  than  in  the  refined,  educated  women 
of  the  South. 


CHAPTER  XXII. 

Ahmed's  conversion. 

"  We  have  all  been  greatly  interested  recently  in 
news  from  Cairo  of  the  apparently  genuine  conversion 
of  Miss  Smith's  Arabic  teacher — a  young  Moslem  of  good 
social  position. 

A  missionary's  lessons  are  largely  in  the  Bible,  and  this 
gave  Miss  Smith  the  opportunity  to  preach  the  gospel  to 
him — which  she  seems  to  have  done  well.     The  most  abom- 


MRS.    MARY   GALLOWAY   GIPFEN.  217 

intible  of  all  our  doctrines  to  a  Moslem  is  the  idea  that 
God  can  have  a  >S'y/t.  It  is  not  safe  among  them  to  use  the 
expression  "  Sou  of  God,"  if  you  are  not  known  to  them  or 
have  not  some  guarantee  of  security.  So  last  summer 
Moallim  Ahmed  asked  Miss  S.  if  this  doctrine  were  taught 
in  the  Old  Testament,  and  how  the  Jews  knew  to  expect  a 
Saviour.  She  referred  him  to  Isaiah  and  Daniel,  helped 
him  in  every  way,  borrowed  books  for  him,  &c.,  but  did 
know  until  recently  how  well  she  had  succeeded. 

Moallim  Ahmed's  father  is  a  "  head  scribe  "  in  one  of 
the  government  offices  in  Cairo,  and  is  a  Moslem  of  the 
most  rigid  type.  He,  however,  appreciates  education,  and 
therefore  sent  his  sons  to  the  mission  school.  One  rule  of 
the  school  of  course  was  that  every  pupil  must  study  the 
Bible.  So  to  secure  the  secular  advantages  of  the  school, 
and  at  the  same  time  counteract  the  religious  influence,  he 
engaged  a  famous  sheik  to  come  every  evening  and  go  over 
the  Bible  lesson  with  the  older  son  and  point  out  to  him 
everything  which  went  against  the  teachings  of  Islam. 
Dr.  Watson  then,  as  now%  gave  a  general  Bible  lesson  to 
the  whole  school  as  a  part  of  chapel  exercises,  and  he  says 
this  older  boy  often  just  seemed  to  gnash  his  teeth  at  being 
compelled  to  listen  to  these  Scripture  explanations.  Moal- 
lim Ahmed  was  the  younger  and  does  not  seem  to  have 
been  guarded  as  was  Mohammed,  or  ever  to  have  shown 
such  bitterness.  When  we  were  in  Cairo  two  years  ago  he 
seemed  about  twenty  years  old,  and  had  probably  been  a 
couple  of  years  out  of  school,  during  which  time  he  was 
dragoman  or  interpreter  to  a  Doctor  Warren  of  Virginia, 
who  was  in  the  Viceroy's  service.  In  the  family  of  Doctor 
W.  he  seems  to  have  imbibed  a  great  liking  for  Frank  cus- 
toms, and  his  first  admission  of  a  change  of  belief  was  in 
the  matter  of  the  Moslem  treatment  of  women.     We  were. 


218  LIFE    AND    LETTERS   OF 

however,  much  surprised  when  perhaps  a  month  ago  he 
gave  Miss  Smith  a  written  confession  of  his  faith  in  Christ, 
stating  clearly  the  process  of  inquiry  through  which  he 
had  passed,  ending  in  what  seems  to  be  a  deep,  warm,  af- 
fectionate reception  of  the  truth  of  the  gospel.  He  stated 
in  an  affecting  way  his  trials  at  home,  his  efforts  to  avoid 
compliance  with  Moslem  rites  and  his  sorrow  when  com- 
pelled to  do  so.  His  father  required  his  children  to  follow 
his  example  of  praying  five  times  a  day,  and  poor  Ahmed 
must  have  had  a  hard  time  evading  it.  He  said  he  knew 
well  that  his  fathei-  would  either  kill  him  instantly  or 
poison  him,  and  he  therefore  felt  that  he  must  leave  Cairo. 
Secret  death  from  his  nearest  relative  is  what  every 
Moslem  knows  he  must  experience  if  he  becomes  a  Chris- 
tian and  leaves  himself  in  the  power  of  his  family.  So  at 
first  it  was  thought  best  to  send  Ahmed  up  here,  but  after- 
wards Dr.  Lansing  persuaded  him  to  come  to  his  house 
when  he  would  leave  his  home  and  he  would  protect  him, 
and  then  they  hoped  they  might  reap  good  fruit  from  the 
discussion  which  was  sure  to  follow.  So  Ahmed  left  letters 
for  his  father  and  brothers,  and  I  suppose  quietly  left  the 
house.  Almost  immediately  two  brothers  folloAved  him 
and  begged  him  to  go  home  with  them  and  "  keep  his  re- 
ligion in  his  heart,"  adding  that  they  had  not  told  their 
father.  Ahmed  knew  that  this  was  a  falsehood  to  get  him 
into  his  fiither's  power.  The  next  day  the  brothers  brought 
sheiks  with  them  to  ai'gue  the  matter.  Drs.  Lansing  and 
Watson  were  greatly  pleased  with  the  manner  in  which 
Ahmed  sustained  his  part  of  the  question.  This  plan  fail- 
ing, they  then  tried  to  induce  him  to  goto  the  great  mosque 
of  Azhar  and  meet  the  Ulema  of  Islam,  but  Dr.  Lansing- 
told  them  even  he  would  not  trust  himself  in  the  Azhar 
without  a  guard  of  soldiers,  much  less  Ahmed.     Sometimes 


MRS.    MARY    GALLOWAY    UlFFEX.  219 

his  mother  came  and  wept  over  him,  beseeching  him  to  go 
home.  Other  times  just  one  brother  would  come  and  talk 
to  him,  and  again  all  the  faniilv  woidd  come  together  ex- 
cept the  fafher  and  a  little  brother. 

Our  fear  was  that,  all  other  methods  failing,  the  father 
would  demand  him  from  Dr.  L.  on  a  charge  of  theft.  In 
that  case  the  Consul  said  he  would  have  to  be  given  up, 
and  would  then  be  at  the  mei'cy  of  his  enemies.  But  the 
last  letters  say  he  has  been  let  alone  for  four  days.  His 
father  lodged  information  against  him  with  the  Viceroy, 
and  also  sent  word  to  Sheik  el  Ishim  in  Constantinople. 
The  former  answered  by  a  very  ex})ressive  idiom  in  uni- 
versal use:  ^'Just  aft  he  likefi.  There  is  freedom  of  religion 
in  Egypt."  But  the  sheik  replied :  "  He  deserves  to  be 
burnt.''  The  Viceroy's  deliverance  will  have  the  effect  of 
preventing  any  legal  proceedings  now,  and  perhaps  the 
anger  of  the  father  will  subside  after  a  little. 

Altogether  this  is  a  wonderful  event  in  Egypt.  Of 
course  Ahmed  Dxiy  be  deceived  in  himself,  but  so  far  the 
opinion  of  all  the  Cairo,  missionaries  is  strongly  in  his 
favor. 

December  1st. — I  wrote  you  a  few  weeks  ago  an  account 
of  Moallim  Ahmed's  conversion.  He  was  baptized  about 
the  time  I  wrote,  and  has  since  informally  joined  the  Sec- 
ond Theological  class,  which  is  studying  this  winter  in 
Cairo.  He  is  still  at  Dr.  Lansing's,  and  still  gives  very 
satisfactory  evidence  that  he  has  really  been  brought  to  the 
knowledge  of  the  truth.  The  trial  of  leaving  his  family 
was  at  first  very  great,  but  they  say  he  is  now  quite  cheer- 
ful. Many  of  his  Moslem  friends  call  to  see  him  and  he 
takes  every  opportunity  to  preach  the  gospel  to  them.  One 
of  his  brothers  he  thinks  is  coming  to  the  light.  His 
father  has  never  had  but  the  one  wife,  and  thev  seem  to 


220  LIFE   AND   LETTERS  OF 

have  been  an  unusually  affectionate  family.  One  daughter 
is  one  of  four  wives,  her  husband  being  one  of  the  Judges 
in  the  International  Court  of  First  Instance  in  Alexandria, 
but  Ahmed  thinks  she  is  the  favorite  wife.  His  mother 
seems  quite  a  nice  woman,  and  bore  herself  with  dignity 
when  she  came  to  Dr.  Lansing's.  Her  other  sous  had  told 
her  Ahmed  was  magnoun — crazy — but  when  she  came  and 
heard  him  talk  she  said  to  them  to  let  him  alone,  he  wasn't 
magnoun.  The  first  time  his  brothers  all  came  together  to 
see  him  they  staid  almost  all  day  and  made  it  very  hard 
for  Ahmed,  yet  when  the  left  they  each  kissed  him.  He 
did  not  come  to  tea,  and  when  Dr.  W.  went  to  his  room  to 
see  what  was  the  matter  he  was  lying  on  the  divan  crying. 
The  first  night  he  left  home  they  sent  for  the  "  mourning 
women  "  and  mourned  all  night  as  for  the  dead.  They  do 
not  tease  him  so  much  now,  but  he  knows  very  well  that 
they  will  not  give  over  yet.  He  says  himself  that  his  father 
cannot  do  otherwise  than  persecute  him,  as  he  would  else 
be  suspected  and  held  to  account  as  an  infidel  to  the  faith. 
Ahmed  has  studied  more  or  less  for  some  years  under  the 
great  sheiks  in  the  Azhar,  and  the  first  thing  his  father  did 
on  hearing  the  news  of  his  defection  was  to  send  and  ac- 
cuse these  sheiks  of  having  taught  his  son  false  doctrine, 
or  at  least  to  have  failed  in  fortifying  him  in  the  faith,  but 
I  suppose  everybody  would  understand  that  this  was  merely 
a  strong  way  of  asserting  that  the  false  doctrine  had  not 
been  imbibed  at  home. 

Our  church  members  in  Cairo  were  very  slow  to  give 
Ahmed  the  hand  of  friendship,  and  up  here  those  of  whom 
we  expected  more  boldly  affirmed  that  it  wasn't  genuine. 
"  Moslems  were  all  bad.  There  wasn't  a  good  one  among 
them."  It  seems  just  the  old  story  of  the  Jews  and  Gen- 
tiles. 


MRS.    MARY   GALLOWAY   GIFFEN.  221 

Ahmed  had  never  attended  our  church  until  he  went  to 
Dr.  Lansing's.  It  was  all  very  wonderful  to  him,  and  he 
seemed  greatly  troubled  that  he  could  not  sing.  He  told 
some  of  the  mission  that  it  certainly  was  "  a  new  life  "  on 
which  he  had  entered.  They  say  he  gets  on  wonderfully 
well  in  adapting  himself  to  our  ways  and  seems  to  enjoy 
his  food  very  much,  though  it  is  so  different  from  what  he 
has  been  accustomed  to  all  his  life.  Dr.  Lansing  in  one  of 
his  letters  to  some  one  here  remarked  that  he  was  "  an  ex- 
ceedingly agreeable  person  to  have  in  the  house."  I  think 
that  is  more  than  he  could  say  for  any  Copt  or  Syrian  that 
I  know  in  the  mission.  Should  the  power  of  Islam  be 
broken  in  this  war  I  think  we  might  reasonably  hope  that 
it  would  open  the  door  to  work  among  the  Moslems.  That 
Avould  be  a  happy  consummation  for  our  mission.  As  it  is 
now,  our  gentlemen  can  preach,  but  Moslems  cannot  hear. 
When  they  can  listen  in  safety  then  we  may  look  for  a  new 
era  in  the  East. 

December  27th.— At  the  date  of  my  last  letter  the  ex- 
citement seemed  to  be  subsiding,  but  last  week  we  were 
startled  with  the  news  that  he  was  missing.  He  was  not  in 
his  room  and  no  one  had  seen  him.  Inquiry  was  made  im- 
mediately, and  getting  no  clue  the  missionaries  went  at 
once  to  the  Consuls  and  from  there  to  Shareef  Pasha — the 
Minister  of  State.  Next  day  it  came  out  that  three  men, 
who  were  said  to  be  the  spies  of  the  government,  were 
standing  together  under  a  Avindow  at  which  Mrs.  Lansing 
was  sitting,  and  that  when  Ahmed  came  up  alone  he  was 
seized  by  the  back  of  the  neck,  a  hand  placed  over  his 
mouth  and  himself  thrust  into  a  close  carriage.  The  sus- 
pense and  anxiety  felt  by  the  missionaries  was  of  course 
very  great,  and  that  night  special  prayer  Avas  made  in  the 
Mission  Chapel— the  church   members  seeming  to  take 


222  l^IFE   AND    LETTERS   OF 

much  interest  in  the  matter.  The  first  information  re- 
ceived was  that  "  Ahmed  was  in  his  father's  house,  and  that 
being  such,  his  father  had  the  right  to  keep  him  a  few  days, 
but  that  he  was  safe  from  violence."  We  here  do  not 
know  how  the  information  came,  or  Avhether  the  mission- 
aries endeavored  to  communicate  with  Ahmed  personally, 
but  we  are  certain  they  have  done  everything  which  seemed 
possible.  For  some  days  we  wondered  at  the  indefiniteness 
of  their  letters,  but  at  last  Mrs.  Lansing  said  we  must  ex- 
cuse initials  and  mere  allusions,  that  they  could  not  be  ex- 
plicit, as  "  everything  was  closely  watched."  She  said  Drs. 
Watson  and  Lansing  were  much  worn,  and  that  there  was 
l>ut  one  subject  of  interest  and  conversation.  A  day  or 
two  later  Dr.  W.  wrote,  "  Xo  further  news  of  Ahmed,  ex- 
cept that  he  appears  to  be  standing  firm."  But  two  days 
ago  Miss  Johnston  wrote  that  they  were  in  an  almost  inde- 
scribable state  of  anxiety,  as  "  the  Viceroy  had  told  our 
Consul  that  Ahmed  was  at  liberty,  that  he  had  signed  his 
recantation,  and  that  in  two  days  there  would  be  an  oppor- 
tunity for  him  to  testify  to  it  publicly  at  the  Zabteeya — 
police  court — in  presence  of  the  chief  of  police  and  the 
Consul."  Miss  J.  added,  "we  do  not  believe  that  Ahmed 
is  denying  his  IMaster,  and  are  very  doubtful  if  any  such 
thing  occiu-s  at  the  Zabteeya."  Of  course  we  here  are  very 
anxious  to  hear  the  result,  but  even  if  Ahmed  is  forced 
through  the  form  of  a  recantation  we  do  not  despair  of 
him.  It  is  true  he  may  have  been  himself  deceived,  but 
it  seems  strange  that  if  he  were  not  one  of  Christ's  chosen 
ones  that  he  would  make  not  one  false  step  in  the  month 
during  which  he  was  in  Dr.  L.'s  house,  and  was  subject  to 
the  closest  scrutiny  from  every  member  of  the  Cairo  Sta- 
tion. Probably  no  human  being  in  Egypt  ever  stood  in 
such  a  place  as  he  has  occupied — alone,  against  the  whole 


MRS.    MARY   GALLOWAY   GIFFEN.  223 

might  of  Islam,  in  Cairo,  it.^  yreatest  stronyho/d.  What  a 
subject  of  praise  and  thanksgiving  it  wouhl  be  to  us  to 
know  that  he  was  dead,  for  then  we  would  know  that  he 
had  gone  to  receive  a  martyr's  crown.  We  feel  sure  that 
he  must  recant  or  die,  unless  it  should  please  God  to  send 
him  special  deliverance,  and  if  he  die,  we  are  not  likely 
ever  to  know  it. 

We  have  almost  no  doubt  that  the  Viceroy  is  deceiving 
the  Consuls  in  this,  as  he  does  in  other  matters.  He  prob- 
ably does  not  care  himself  what  Ahmed's  faith  is,  but  when 
the  heads  of  the  Moslem  sects  come  to  him  and  say  that 
this  matter  must  stop,  nobody  doubts  what  he  will  say. 
Ahmed's  family  stand  high,  and  ihe  i^hame  of  his  defection 
will  be  felt  in  a  way  and  to  a  degree  that  we  cannot  com- 
prehend. Any  crime,  the  sum  of  all  crimes,  indeed,  they 
would  lightly  esteem  in  comparison  with  this.  Should  he 
remain  faithful,  years  may  jiass  before  he  is  secure  from 
their  deep  laid  plots,  but  the  probability  is  that  his  days  will 
be  few. 

January  4th. — Misses  Johnston  and  Smith  have  come 
up  from  Cairo  and  have  given  us  full  particulars  of  Moal- 
lim  Ahmed's  case,  and  very  sad  they  are.  The  day  before 
they  left  the  Consul  sent  for  Drs.  L.  and  W.  They  went 
to  the  Consulate  and  met  there  Ahmed,  his  father  and 
three  brothers.  They  said  Ahmed  had  recanted  and  they 
wished  his  books  from  Dr.  L.'s  house.  The  latter  said  to 
A.,  "Is  this  true?  Have  you  returned  to  Islam?" 
"  Yes,"  he  replied,  but  did  not  speak  again.  Dr.  L.  thought 
him  much  changed,  his  face  worn,  thin  and  pale.  On 
leaving  Mr.  L.  inquired  of  the  father  if  Ahmed  would 
come  back  to  his  work  in  the  school.  "  Not  just  yet,"  he 
said,  as  he  wished  him  to  go  to  Minyeh  to  his  plantations. 
The  father  used  to  live  in  jNIinyeh,  which  is  three  stations 


224  LIFE   AND   LETTERS   OF 

from  here  on  the  railroad,  and  these  plantations  were 
given  to  him  by  the  Viceroy.  Mohammed,  the  oldest 
brother  of  Ahmed,  has  charge  of  a  very  large  Govern- 
ment school  there,  and  was  sent  for  immediately  after  A. 
came  to  Dr.  L.'s.  On  coming  to  Cairo  he  spent  almost  a 
whole  day  in  hot  argument  with  Ahmed,  being  much 
harsher  with  him  than  the  others,  and  telling  them  all 
when  he  left  that  he  would  return  next  day  to  Minyeh. 
Various  lies  were  told  Ahmed  to  convince  all  concerned 
that  Mohammed  really  had  returned  to  his  school  and  the 
afternoon  that  Ahmed  was  kidnapped  a  younger  brother 
brought  a  list  of  books  and  left  it  xvith  Mrs.  Lansing,  as 
Ahmed  was  at  the  school,  saying  ]\Iohammed  wished  Ah- 
med to  select  them  for  him  and  send  them  on  to  Minyeh. 
All  this  was  to  prevent  any  suspicion  of  Mohammed's  pres- 
ence, though  at  that  very  time  he  was  sitting  in  the  car- 
riage below  Mrs.  L.'s  window. 

When  the  missionaries  found  Ahmed  had  been  cap- 
tured by  government  officials,  they  supposed  he  would 
be  either  instantly  killed  or  sent  directly  to  the  White  Nile  ; 
and  when  after  a  day  or  two  no  tidings  of  him  came,  Miss 
Smith  resolved  at  least  to  attempt  calling  on  his  mother.  She 
had  always  seemed  so  fond  of  Ahmed,  and  the  latter  had 
frequently  expressed  the  hope  that  Miss  S.  might  some 
day  be  able  to  visit  at  the  house  and  induce  his  mother  to 
learn  to  read.  The  young  ladies  thought  it  probable  that 
the  mother  was  in  ignorance  of  Ahmed's  whereabouts,  and 
Miss  S.  thought  she  might  be  able  to  touch  her  heart  if  she 
went  to  talk  to  her  about  her  son.  So  she  called  up  an 
old  Moslem  bow-wab  and  told  him  to  bring  a  donkey,  and 
that  she  wished  him  to  go  with  her  to  Moallim  Ahmed's 
house.  He  refused  to  go  most  positively  and  would  not 
bring  the  donkey.     "  Why  !  "  he  said,  "  they  will  kill  you 


MRS.   MARY   GALLOWAY   GIFFEN.  225 

and  me  l)<)th  long  before  we  get  to  the  house."  Miss  S. 
told  him  that  she  was  going  and  asked  him  if  he  called 
himself  a  man  and  was  afraid  to  go  with  her  through  a 
street  of  Cairo  among  people  of  his  own  religion.  He 
said  :  "  All  the  same,  I  can't  go."  After  a  little  two  of 
the  teachers  in  the  boys'  school  rode  up.  Miss  Smith 
asked  for  their  donkey.  They  told  her  she  could  take  the 
donkey,  but  how  on  earth  could  she  venture  into  such  a 
place !  They  would  certainly  kill  her.  The  house  they 
said,  was  in  one  of  the  densest  of  Moslem  quarters,  the 
streets  were  very  narrow,  and  no  Frank  ever  went  there, 
that  a  Frank  woman  would  attract  everybody's  notice,  and 
that  if  she  went  she  would  never  return.  She  asked  the 
others  to  pray  for  her,  got  on  the  donkey  and  told  the  old 
bow-wab  to  come  along.  One  of  the  teachers  who  objected 
most,  is  rather  a  rough  sort  of  a  man,  and,  they  always 
supposed,  destitute  of  any  very  tender  feeling.  But  they 
sat  down  to  wait  to  see  if  Miss  Smith  would  come  back  or 
not.  The  others  tried  to  talk  and  this  man  would  answer 
questions,  but  every  few  minutes  he  would  say,  "  She's  in 
the  Mooskey  by  this  time."  Then  again,  "Now  she's  at 
such  and  such  a  place,  but  they'll  kill  her,  they'll  kill  her." 
Then  again,  "  Now  she's  there,  and  if  they  do  strike  her 
she's  got  no  body  and  they  would  kill  her  at  the  first  blow." 
(Miss  Smith  is  very  small  and  delicate  looking.)  As  Moal- 
lira  Farag  had  said,  she  got  to  the  place  in  due  time,  wind- 
ing through  all  sorts  of  dark,  narrow  streets,  with  thous- 
ands of  black  holes  along  the  way  into  which  "  a  dog  of  a 
Christian  might  have  been  thrown  to  die,  but  without  any 
such  calamity  befalling  her."  No  one  seemed  to  notice 
her  or  wonder  about  her.  She  remembered  the  address  on 
the  letters  Moallim  Ahmed  had  sent  to  his  family  while  at 
Dr.  L.'s,  and  told  the  servant  to  stop  at  the  right  door. 


226  LIFE   AND    LETTERS    OF 

He  insisted  that  wasn't  the  one,  and  after  wandering; 
np  and  down  the  street  two  or  three  times,  declared  he  had 
forgotten  the  house.  She  then  got  off  the  donkey,  went  to 
the  door  and  ordered  him  to  rap  the  knocker.  He  refused 
and  she  went  up  and  did  it  herself.  A  slave  woman  came 
and  peeped  out  of  a  crack  of  the  door  but  refused  to  open 
it.  Miss  S.  pushed  it  open  by  exerting  all  her  strength  in 
a  quiet  way.  She  told  the  woman  she  wished  to  see  the 
Sitt.  "  Well,  she  isn't  here."  "  Yes,  she  is,"  Miss  S.  re- 
plied, "  and  I  must  see  her."  "  No,  she  isn't  here,  and  you 
must  get  out  of  here  immediately.  We  killed  a  man  right 
here  where  you  are  standing,  right  down  there.  Don't  you 
see  the  blood  ?"  Miss  »S.  said  she  didn't  and  must  see  the 
Sitt.  "  Go  away  !  I  say !  Don't  I  tell  you  we  killed  a 
man  here."  When  Miss  S.  wouldn't  go,  the  maid  had  re- 
luctantly to  go  in  to  see  what  was  to  be  done,  but  over  and 
over  she  Avarued  her  not  to  stir  one  step  from  where  she 
was.  In  a  minute  or  two  a  male  servant  came  in  closing 
the  door  behind  him.  Miss  S.  approached  him  and  oftered 
salutations,  but  he  Avouldn't  salute  and  ordered  her  out. 
She  begged  again  to  see  the  Sitt.  But  he  only  said,  "  Go 
out,  please  get  out ;"  and  when  she  didn't  move  he  took 
her  by  the  arm  and  put  her  out.  In  a  few  days  the  Vice- 
roy told  the  Consul  where  Ahmed  was,  and  that  he  mud  go 
to  the  Consulate  and  recant.  The  day  before  they  took  him 
there  Mohammed  took  him  out  walking  and  brought  him 
pa.'^t  Dr.  Lanslnr/s  hou.'<c,  Mohammed  holding  him  by  the 
arm  and  another  Moslem  walking  on  the  other  side.  Then 
two  days  after  they  were  at  the  Consulate  the  bow-wab 
saw  them  on  the  street,  Mohammed  holding  Ahmed's 
hand.  The  bow-wab  went  immediately  towards  them  to 
speak,  and  A.  turned  towards  him.  "  Come  along  !  You 
must  not,"  said  Mohammed.     "  But  I  will,"  Ahmed  re- 


MRS.    MARY    CiALLOWAY    (JrFFKX.  227 

plied,  and  saluted.  Then  the  old  servant  with  great  tact 
began  to  inform  liini  alxnit  Miss  Smith's  visit  to  the  house, 
asking,  "  AVas  it  proper  to  turn  her  out  of  doors  when  she 
'went  to  visit  your  mother?"  Ahmed  said  he  didn't  know 
she  had  been  there,  and  said  to  beg  her  not  to  be  angry. 
AVe  have  no  doubt  this  was  the  first  piece  of  pleasant  news 
the  poor  fellow  had  had,  and  are  sure  it  would  greatly  en- 
courage him.  The  next  day  one  of  the  Cairo  church  mem- 
mers  got  a  Moslem  and  a  .great  infidel  ])hi]osopher  to  take 
him  to  the  house.  AVhen  he  asked  to  go  with  them,  they 
said,  "  You  go  there  ?  Why,  they'll  kill  you  !  "  But  he 
went,  and  Ahmed  was  permitted  to  come  down.  After  a 
little  the  philosopher  stepped  out,  and  the  Moslem  not  un- 
derstanding English,  Ahmed  and  the  member  could  speak. 
He  said  "  his  heart  Avas  on  fire,"  that  h(i  was  with  us  still, 
that  he  was  so  persecuted  and  vind  do  something  to  save 
himself  from  them.  But  the  woi'd  he  used  for  saved  was 
in  Arabic,  and  may  mean  either  to  save  or  escape  from. 
Afterwards  this  same  Copt  was  in  a  government  office  and 
heard  one  Moslem  inquiring  of  another  about  Ahmed, 
what  he  was  doing,  etc.  The  answer  was  that  "  he  was  a 
stubborn  felloAv,  and  was  just  sitting  in  the  house,  some- 
times crying  and  sometimes  rejoicing." 

When  the  books  were  sent  home  all  the  mission  circle 
wrote  notes  to  him  and  put  them  in  different  books. 

AVe  are  hoping  and  praying  that  it  may  all  be  overruled 
yet  for  Ahmed's  and  the  church's  good.  Certainly,  as  far 
as  we  can  see,  there  is  no  comparison  between  this  case  and 
that  of  Peter,  and  yet  the  latter  became  a  great  Apostle, 
and  finally  a  glorious  martyr  foj-  the  Saviour  he  was  so 
swift  to  deny. 

January  17th. — My  last  to  you  in  reference  to  our  Mos- 
lem friend  was  closed  when  we  felt  verv  anxious  about 


228  LIFE   AND    LETTERS   OF 

him.  I  think  I  mentioned  that  he  came  to  Dr.  Lansing's 
while  the  young  ladies  were  up  here.  Afterwards  he 
called  on  a  shopman  who  is  one  of  our  elders,  declaring 
himself  firm,  and  once  or  twice  more  he  came  to  Dr. 
L.'s.  These  visits  to  Dr.  L.'s  were  kept  secret  from  our 
members  even,  though  of  course  Ahmed  might  have  been 
seen  entering  the  house.  Last  Saturday  when  he  was 
there  he  talked  a  great  deal  and  encouraged  them  very 
much.  Then  to  everyone's  great  surprise  he  came  to  our 
English  service.  There  had  been  a  little  vacation  in  the 
boys'  school  which  was  just  closing,  so  it  was  decided  for 
the  gentlemen  to  write  to  A.'s  father  and  ask  permission 
for  him  to  resume  his  work  as  a  teacher  in  the  school.  The 
letter  was  sent  Monday  night  last,  and  I  suppose  led  to  a 
hot  discussion..  The  father  promptly  refused,  insisting 
that  Ahmed  should  take  work  in  the  Government  schools, 
or  in  the  Government  office,  in  which  he  himself  is  em- 
ployed. Ahmed  as  promptly  refused,  insisting  that  he 
Avould  retain  his  own  position,  and  telling  his  father  that 
he  had  "forced  him  to  do  what  he  had  done."  A  part  of 
this  forcinr/  consisted  in  the  father  writing  a  recantation 
and  compelling  Ahmed  to  transcribe  it.  This  was  the 
paper  the  Viceroy  told  our  Consul  Ahmed  had  written  of 
"  his  own  free  will." 

Next  morning  after  the  father  and  brothers  had  gone  to 
their  offices,  Ahmed's  mother  told  him  he  had  better  leave, 
that  he  toas  in  danger.  So  he  is  a  second  time  at  Dr.  Lan- 
sing's. It  would  appear  that  the  mother  had  not  given  in- 
formation of  his  whereabouts,  as  it  Avas  the  second  day  be- 
fore they  came  to  inquire  if  he  were  at  Dr.  L.'s.  Miss 
Johnston  writes  that  Ahmed  is  very  nervous,  and  that  they 
all  feel  th9,t  there  is  no  safety  for  him  in  Egypt.  Our 
^.orisul  went  i^  Shareef  Pasha  and  asked  to  be  allowed  to 


MRS.    MARY   GALLOWAY   GIFFEN.  229 

take  Ahmed  there  to  tell  his  story  himself,  but  Shareef  de- 
clined the  interview.  You  will  remember  he  is  the  Min- 
ister of  State.  He  said  "  a  separation  would  be  necessary, 
as  even  should  his  own  family  permit  him  to  live  as  a 
Christian  in  his  father's  house,  other  Moslems  would  not." 
He  said  he  would  give  orders  that  Ahmed  should  not  be 
molested,  "  but  could  not  promise  that  harm  would  not 
come  to  him." 

Dr.  Watson  wrote  us  last  night  that  there  was  "  a  bad 
prospect  for  calm  in  Cairo  now."  They  say  their  every 
movement  is  closely  watched,  and  are  afraid  to  mention 
names  to  us,  or  give  us  any  but  general  information. 

You  cannot  imagine  how  interesting  the  case  is  to  us  all. 
It  is  Islam  against  Christianity.  Ahmed  had  more  than 
usual  worldly  inducements  to  remain  in  the  faith  of  his 
fathers.  In  declaring  himself  a  Christian  he  knew  that 
he  must  leave  his  home  and  all  his  friends,  that  he  lost  his 
legal  rights  of  inheritance,  and,  as  he  said  himself,  "  all  the 
probabilities  were  that  he  would  lose  his  life  in  the  end." 
If  the  mission  were  able  to  get  him  out  of  the  country,  it 
would  not  seem  desirable,  as  the  next  case  would  require 
the  same  ground  to  be  gone  over.  So  we  cannot  see  w'hat 
the  end  will  be.  AVe  would  hope  for  great  things  if 
Ahmed  could  become  the  evangelist  of  his  own  people ; 
but  he  will  not  dare  now  to  show  himself  without  protec- 
tion. We  suppose  that  there  must  be  much  excitement 
among  the  Moslems  in  Cairo,  as  we  know  there  is  always 
strong  sympathy  between  that  city  and  Stamboul. 

February  2nd. — In  a  letter  written  to  Mr.  Alexander 
this  week  Ahmed  says  he  is  "  a  prisoner  at  Dr.  L.'s  house," 
and  begs  to  be  prayed  for  much  that  he  may  have  strength 
given  him  to  endure  all.  When  the  first  Sabbath  came  he 
declared  his  intention  of  going  to  church.     There  were 


230  LIFE   AND    LETTERS   OF 

many  fears  that  he  would  be  shot  before  he  could  reach 
the  church,  as  his  father  liad  given  orders  for  his  assassina- 
tion, Mohammed  having  been  sent  for  again  from  Minyeh. 
However  he  went  over  early  with  Dr.  Watson,  more  or  less 
disguised — probably  a  dress  coat  and  hat  only,  as  he  could 
easily  carry  his  tarboosh  in  his  pocket,  and  so  put  it  on 
and  appear  natural  in  the  church.  There  was  great  joy 
among  the  native  members ;  some  of  them  kissed  him. 
Neither  in  Cairo  nor  here  have  we  heard  of  a  single  native 
doubting  or  condemning  him,  even  though  they  were  so 
slow  to  believe  him  at  first.  They  are  so  accustomed  to  • 
oppression,  to  being  driven,  that  they  really  seem  unable 
to  understand  how  one  man  could  oppose  his  will  to  all 
Islam  with  the  Viceroy  behind  it.  While  Ahmed  was  at 
church  his  mother  came  to  brinrj  him,  some  clothes.  Not  find- 
ing him,  she  left  them  with  the  old  Moslem  bow-wab,  and 
in  the  afternoon  sent  back  her  servant  to  know  if  they  had 
been  received.  Next  day  she  came  again  herself  to  see 
him.  What  a  comfort  it  must  have  been  to  him !  He 
loves  her  very  dearly,  and  is  her  favorite  son.  Of  course 
the  father  does  not  know  what  she  does,  but  it  seems  to  me 
she  risks  a  great  deal.  Ahmed  seems  to  have  been  a  gen- 
eral favorite  at  home,  and  that  may  make  the  servants 
willing  to  help  a  kind  mistress  against  a  severe  master. 
Last  Sabbath  Ahmed  went  to  church  again  and  went  home 
in  a  company  of  English  people,  without  anything  hap- 
pening. But  he  may  escape  a  dozen  times  and  be  taken 
as  he  was  before.  We  think  he  does  not  dare  to  show  his 
face  either  at  a  w'indow  or  in  a  balcony  yet,  but  they  say 
he  is  a  brave  fellow,  and  no  doubt  he  will  forget  some  of 
his  caution  after  awhile. 

Dr.  Lansing  says  we  can  have  no  idea  of  the  excite- 
ment and  exasperation  which  his  return  stirred    up  in 


MRS.    MARY   GALLOWAY    OIFPEN.  231 

Cairo,  and  tliat  it  is  impossible  to  foresee  the  entl.  They 
all  think  Ahmed  very  prudent,  and  some  one  wrote  that 
"  now  since  they  had  heard  all  they  did  not  blame  him." 
But  it  was  added,  "it  has  done  us  all  good;  Ahmed  is 
more  distrustful  of  himself  now — trusts  more  in  God,  and 
sees  better  where  his  strength  must  come  from." 

"April  11th. — As  we  have  mentioned  Moallim  Ahmed's 
escape  from  Egypt  in  our  private  letters,  you  will  doubt- 
less be  interested  in  hearing  some  of  the  details. 

Several  years  ago  there  was  a  pious  Scotch  Earl  who 
made  one  or  two  trips  up  the  Nile,  and  took  great  interest 
in  our  mission  work,  always  carrying  Bibles  in  his  boat 
and  making  many  efforts  to  do  real  missionary  work. 
This  winter  his  son  br(^ught  his  young  bride  to  Egypt,  both 
of  them  manifesting  (piite  as  much  interest  in  missions  as 
their  distinguished  father  and  mother.  They  visited  the 
mission  in  Cairo  and  Osiout,  and  took  books  and  a  colpor- 
teur with  them  from  the  latter  place.  The  first  of  March, 
as  they  returned  down  the  river,  they  again  stopped  in 
Osiout  to  place  in  the  l)oys'  school  four  slaves  whom  they 
had  bought  from  a  slave  dealer,  or  rather,  as  Lady  Aber- 
deen said,  "they  gave  a  compensation  "  for  them.  Three 
of  them  are  small,  and  these  three  they  asked  Dr.  Hogg 
to  baptize,  Lord  and  Lady  Aberdeen  standing  as  sponsors 
for  them.  The  boys  are  to  be  educated,  and  then  Lord  A. 
hopes  they  will  return  to  Soudan  as  missionaries  to  their 
own  people. 

You  will  see  from  these  things  how  differently  this 
young  nobleman  and  his  beautiful  countess  have  behaved 
on  their  "  Nile  trip"  from  most  travelers — seeming  obliv- 
ious of  themselves,  and  only  endeavoring  to  find  out  how 
to  do  good.  Soon  after  they  left  Osiout,  the  annual  meet- 
ing of  the  Association  met  there.     Drs.  Lansing  and  Wat- 


232  LIFE   AND    LETTEES   OF  . 

son  of  course  wished  to  attend,  but  they  were  almost 
afraid  to  leave  Ahmed  behind,  and  they  did  not  dare  to 
take  him  with  them.  Their  perplexity  became  known  to 
Ahmed's  family,  and  suspicious  inquiries  began  to  be  made 
whether  he  was  going  or  not.  He  remained  however. 
Then  it  soon  became  evident  that  the  old  Moslem  bow-wab 
was  not  bringing  in  the  Osiout  mail  until  twenty-four 
hours  after  it  was  due.  So,  as  it  was  the  custom  for  some 
of  the  missionaries  to  take  the  key  of  the  post-office  box 
Saturday  night,  Miss  Johnson  resolved  to  test  the  matter. 
Monday  morning  early  she  Avent  herself  and  found  no 
letters  in  the  box,  when  she  knew  they  should  be  there. 
She  returned  and  sent  the  old  servant.  He  suspected 
nothing,  and  came  back  immediately  with  letters — those 
from  Drs.  L.  and  W.,  in  Osiout,  a2:>pearing  to  have  been 
opened.  Of  course  nuich  anxiety  was  felt,  and  besides  no 
answer  came  from  the  wealthy  Scotchman  to  whom  appli- 
cation had  been  made  for  Ahmed's  support  in  case  Dr.  W. 
could  succeed  in  getting  him  out  of  Egypt.  Just  at  this 
time,  however,  came  a  letter  from  Lord  and  Lady  Aber- 
deen, saying  that  as  they  were  coming  down  the  Nile  they 
had  read  an  account  of  Ahmed's  case  in  the  London  Time.s, 
and  that  if  they  could  assist  in  any  way  it  would  give 
them  great  pleasure.  The  winds  were  favorable  and  they 
soon  arrived  in  Cairo.  The  ladies  of  the  mission  laid  the 
case  before  them,  and  Lord  A.  went  immediately  to  the 
English  and  American  Consuls.  The  former  said  there 
was  great  danger  of  Ahmed's  assassination,  and  the  latter 
said  it  would  be  a  great  relief  to  liim  when  Ahmed  was 
out  of  the  country.  Accordingly,  Mr.  Vivian,  the  Eng- 
lish  Consul,  proceeded  to  procure  passports  for  "  Lord 
and  Lady  Aberdeen  with  their  two  men  servants,"  for  one 
of  which  Ahmed  passed.     None  of  us  knew  how  the  pass- 


MRS.    MARY    GALLOWAY    (iHFEX.  233 

port  was  to  be  secured,  nnd  noJtlier,  I  think,  was  there 
subterfuge  on  Lord  A.'s  part,  as  he  met  the  Viceroy  and 
told  him  what  he  was  going  to  do.  The  English  Consul 
has  been  able  to  influence  the  Government  in  several  cases 
where  our  own  could  do  nothing,  the  Viceroy  seeming  to 
be  anxious  to  avoid  difficulties  with  England.  When  all 
Avas  arranged  Lord  A.  engaged  rooms  down  here  at  a  quiet 
hotel,  and  left  Cairo  on  a  night  express.  When  they  left 
the  carriage  in  Cairo  at  the  station  Lord  A.  walked  on 
one  side  of  Ahmed  and  the  countess  on  the  other.  8he 
said  next  day,  "  I  felt  very  nervous."  The  passports  wei"e 
sent  down  to  the  English  Consul  here,  who  had  all  neces- 
sary arrangements  comjileted.  By  ten  o'clock  next  morn- 
ing the  party  were  all  on  board  the  steamer.  Mr.  Giffeu 
met  them  at  the  hotel  and  Avent  on  board  with  them.  Ah- 
med, he  said,  looked  very  serious  until  they  were  on  the 
steamer,  then  his  spirits  seemed  to  rise.  Naturally  he 
wished  to  go  on  deck  with  the  others,  but  the  Consul  sent 
him  below  innnediately.  Lady  Aberdeen  expressed  her- 
self as  much  pleased  with  his  manners  and  bearing,  and 
said  it  was  their  intention  to  send  him  on  directly  to  Lord 
Polworth,  her  brother-in-law,  in  care  of  their  English 
servant,  while  they  themselves  would  stop  awhile  in  Italy. 
Lord  A.  said  this  Lord  Polworth  was  one  of  the  most 
deeply  pious  men  in  Scotland,  and  that  Ahmed  could  not 
be  surrounded  by  better  influences.  Then  when  they 
reach  home  themselves  they  are  going  to  send  him  to  the 
university  at  which  Lord  A.  graduated,  and  one  of  the 
Professors  of  which  is  a  very  intimate  friend  of  Lady 
Aberdeen.  So  the  whole  thing  worked  out  so  beautifully 
and  so  unexpectedly,  and  when  Dr.  Watson  got  back  Ahmed 
was,  I  suppose,  at  Brindisi.  His  father  said  once  that 
Ahmed  wasn't  a  Christian  at  heart — that  he  wasn't  really 


234  LIFE    AND    LETTERS   OF 

changed,  that  it  wa^  just  those  cunning  American  chowa- 
gat  (gentlemen)  who  had  imposed  upon  him.  I  wonder 
how  he  enjoyed  it  when  he  learned  that  the  American 
sittat  (ladies)  had  succeeded  in  spiriting  Ahmed  away  to 
Scotland  before  he  could  find  it  out,  and  without  any  help 
from  either  of  the  chowagat. 

He  wrote  to  his  family — beautifvil  letters — and  was  so 
very  anxious  to  have  seen  his  mother,  but  he  did  not  dare 
communicate  with  her.  Though  a  brave,  manly  fellow, 
he  had  a  good  many  genuine  crie/^  about  leaving  all  for  so 
long,  and  was  very  sad  and  quiet  when  he  took  leave,  but 
he  wrote  from  the  hotel  here  to  jNIrs.  Lansing  a  most  affec- 
tionate letter,  and  also  wrote  from  Brindisi.  They  reached 
there  on  the  fifth  day,  Ahmed  having  been  terribly  sea- 
sick all  the  way.  He  said  very  soberly  that  "  he  never 
expected  to  see  land  again."  Everybody  laughs  at  sea- 
sickness, and  yet  who  can  ever  forget  the  misery  of  it  ? 
No  doubt  the  poor  fiellow  suffered  real  agony  in  those  five 
long  days,  and  very  likely  he  would  wonder  if  he  might 
not  just  as  well  have  stayed  and  "  died  in  the  land  of 
Egypt." 

December  20th. — Dr.  AVatson  and  family  have  recently 
arrived  from  America.  They  spent  a  few  weeks  in  Scot- 
land— their  native  land,  and  Avhile  there,  were  invited  to 
visit  Lord  Aberdeen.  They  also  saw  Moallim  Ahmed, 
who  had  entered  the  LTniversity  of  Edinburgh.  Dr.  Wat- 
son says  "  he  is  holding  fast  to  his  good  profession  and 
making  many  friends  among  the  sincere  lovers  of  our 
Lord  Jesus  in  Scotland."  Lord  Aberdeen  pays  his  board- 
ing bills  and  gives  him  forty  dollars  quarterly  for  books 
and  clothing.  Ahmed  thinks  this  very  liberal  and  write* 
very  cheerfully  and  happily,  except  that  he  so  longs  to 
hear  fi-om  his  family.     He  writes  to  them  frequently — 


MRS.    MARY    f;AT>T,OAVAT    (ilFFEX.  235 

beautiful,  touching  letters,  but  they  give  him  not  a  word 
in  reply.  The  mission  in  Cairo  can  get  no  news  of  them 
and  do  not  dare  to  visit  them.  When  Ahmed  left  them 
first  to  come  to  Dr.  Lansing's  they  made  "a  mourning" 
for  him  and  bewailed  him  as  dead,  and  so  they  no  doubt 
now  regard  him.  He  is  very  affectionate  in  his  disposi- 
tion, and  few  of  us  ])erhaps  can  estimate  the  trial  it  is  to 
him  never  even  to  see  the  handwriting  of  those  he  loves 
so  dearly." 

Ahmed  is  still  supported  by  Lord  and  Lady  Aberdeen, 
and  is  in  the  University  at  Edinburgh.  In  addition  to  the 
regular  literary  course,  he  is  studying  medicine.  "  Jt  was 
his  desire  to  be  a  minister,  but  Lord  and  Lady  Aberdeen 
urged  him  strongly  to  be  a  physician,  thinking  that  in  this 
Avay  he  would  be  more  acceptable  among  his  countrymen, 
in  case  he  returns  to  Cairo."  He  is  very  lughly  esteemed 
by  his  acquaintances  in  Edinburgh,  and  his  progress  in 
University  studied  shoAvs  him  to  be  possessed  of  decided 
mental  powers.  His  future  is  largely  in  other  hands  than 
his  own,  but  "  it  has  always  been  his  desire,  as  well  as  the 
hope  of  those  who  support  him,  that  some  day  he  may  be 
a  strong  Christian  worker,  in  Egypt  at  least,  and  if  possi- 
ble, among  his  kindred  who  are,  as  he  was,  following  the 
"  False  Prophet." 

Heretofore  one  of  the  most  discouraging  features  of 
mission  work  in  Egypt — and  indeed  in  every  Moham- 
medan country — was  the  unapproachableness  of  the  Mos- 
lem element.  In  the  wall  of  exclusiveness  and  fanaticism 
Avhich  the  Moslems  have  built  around  themselves,  the  ut- 
most efforts  of  the  missionaries  could  make  no  appreciable 
breach. 

But  recent  advices  from  Egypt  assure  us  that  the  door 
to  the  Moslem  world  is  gradually  opening — all  the  indica- 


236  LIFE   AND    LETTERS    OF 

tions  show  that  the  bars  and  bolts  that  have  held  it  so 
firmly  are  Aveakening.  The  Sultan  at  Constantinople  seems 
to  feel  this  and  is  putting  forth  an  effort  to  strengthen 
the  props  and  bars,  but  the  missionaries  believe  that  he 
will  fail,  and  that  the  door  will  give  way  in  spite  of  him. 
The  opening  may  not  be  like  the  bursting  of  a  door  before 
a  giant  stroke,  but  more  like  the  letting  out  of  waters, 
through  a  very  small  opening  in  a  dyke,  scarcely  to  be 
noticed  at  first,  but  in  the  end  irresistible. 


CHAPTER  XXIII. 

HEAT — ITS  INTENSITY — OPHTHALMIA — HINDRANCE   TO 

MISSION   WORK. 

The  two  physical  drawbacks  which  operated  most  in 
hindering  Mrs.  GifiSen  in  her  labors,  was  the  mte)ise  heat, 
and  the  prevalence  of  long-continued  and  acute  attacks  of 
Ophthalmia.  The  one  prostrated  and  enervated,  and  the 
other  often  shut  her  up,  a  close  prisoner,  for  weeks.  When 
we  come  to  add  up  the  hindrances  and  difficulties  under 
which  mission  labor  is  prosecuted  in  Egypt,  the  aggregate 
makes  a  large  sum,  and  we  often  wonder  that  the  devoted 
laborers  in  that  land  have  patience  and  faith  enough  to 
sustain  them  in  their  trying  position. 

When  Mrs.  Giffen  was  transferred  to  Asyoot  (Osiout)  she 
says : 

"  There  was  but  one  vacant  house  in  Osiout  in  which  we 
felt  we  could  live,  and  it  was  so  small  and  inconvenient 
and  so  very  hot  that  we  could  not  reconcile  ourselves  to 


MRS.    MARY   GALLOWAY   GIFFEN.  237 

attempt  living  in  it.  One  of  the  rooms  has  four  windows, 
but  tlie  other  has  none,  except  little  places  near  the  ceil- 
ing which  cannot  be  opened,  the  door  being  the  only  way 
-«f  admitting  air.  Dooi's  and  windows  here  are  always 
closed  by  eleven  o'clock  in  summer,  and  must  remain  so 
until  after  sundown,  as  the  hot  air,  if  permitted  to  enter, 
would  be  almost  unendurable.  The  court  walls  keep  out 
the  air  from  us,  and  we  feel  as  if  we  could  not  breathe. 
So  we  have  our  breakfast  and  tea  on  the  })orch  and  sleep 
on  the  roof  Last  week,  and  the  preceding  one  also,  the 
heat  was  really  terrible.  The  gentlemen  had  to  close  their 
eyes  riding  over  to  school,  and  at  night  they  said  their 
nostrils  smarted  still  from  the  burning.  In  the  coolest, 
closed  room  up  stairs  the  thermometer  was  ninety-eight  de- 
grees during  the  afternoon,  and  when  we  left  for  the  roof 
at  ten  o'clock  it  was  nliiety-five  degrees.  No  doubt  you 
often  have  it  as  high  as  that,  but  you  do  not  have  this  dry 
air.  There  is  scarcely  any  sensible  perspiration,  and  you 
feel  all  the  time  as  if  you  were  being  roasted  in  an  oven. 
This  throws  you  into  a  nervous,  feverish  condition,  which 
makes  you  both  weak  and  irritable  and  unfits  you  for  any 
kind  of  work." 

Yet  small,  hot,  inconvenient  as  this  house  was,  Mr.  Gif- 
fen  was,  from  the  simple  fact  that  there  was  no  better  to  be 
had  in  the  city,  forced  to  live  in  it  until  a  few  months  before 
Mrs,  GifTen's  death.  The  air  and  the  surroundings  were 
so  bad  that  they  lived  in  it  at  a  continual  risk  of  their 
lives. 

"August  4th. — We  are  still  exhorting  ourselves  to  pa- 
tience in  the  heat.  Between  five  and  six  o'clock  we  went 
over  to  church  and  found  the  air  so  hot  that  I  tried  to  hold 
my  breath  as  long  at  a  time  as  I  could  until  we  got  in  the 
house.     I  have  no  doubt  that  the  thermometer  would  have 


238  LIFE   AKD   LETTERS   OP 

gone  up  to  one  hundred  and  forty  in  the  street.  It  has 
been  one  hundred  and  thirty  in  our  court,  its  high  walls 
shutting  out  the  burning  air  from  the  desert  which  makes 
the  streets  so  scorching.  The  walls  of  our  houses  are  built 
with  a  view  to  these  winds.  Our  window  sills  are  about 
two  feet  deep,  so  that  when  our  windows  are  closed  during  " 
the  day  there  is  a  great  difference  between  the  inside  and 
outside  temperature.  But  still  when  the  thermometer 
stands  at  ninety-five  or  ninety-eight  in  these  closed,  dark- 
ened rooms  it  is  very  hard  indeed  to  endure  the  still,  dry, 
burning  heat  from  ten  in  the  morning  until  eight  or  nine 
at  night. 

The  rise  in  the  river  has  been  so  rapid  that  as  it  spreads 
over  the  hot  ground  cracked  and  broken  with  a  two  years' 
thirst,  the  air  is  just  laden  with  a  hot  vapor  which  keeps 
us  from  sleeping  anywhei-e  and  robs  us  of  almost  all  com- 
fort. '  The  world  is  like  fire,'  is  on  every  lady's  tongue, 
and  the  natives  declare  that  such  heat  was  never  felt  here 
before.  I  have  been  wandering  about  everywhere  trying 
to  find  a  place  to  sleep^ever  since  I  came.  The  first  night  or 
two  I  was  afraid  to  go  to  the  roof  on  account  of  ophthalmia. 
I  carried  my  mattress  about  from  place  to  place  almost 
every  night,  and  at  last  we  Avere  driven  to  the  roof.  Last 
night  there  was  a  high  wind  from  the  desert  when  we  went 
up,  but  by  dispensing  with  the  net  we  could  sleep.  It  grew 
higher  and  hotter,  however,  and  in  an  hour  or  two  we  felt 
that  we  must  not  expose  our  eyes  to  it  whether  we  slept  or 
not.  So  we  came  down,  and  going  back  a  little  later  I 
found  a  real  simoon  blowing.  The  stars,  before  so  bright, 
Avere  now  entirely  obscured,  and  the  darkness,  instead  of 
being  black,  seemed  to  be  grey.  It  produced  a  singular 
sensation,  while  the  skin  and  eyes  seemed  to  dry  up  in  the 
fierce  heat.     The  rest  of  the  night  I  spent  in  fanning  Bruce 


MRS.    MARY   GALLOWAY   GIFFEN.  239 

and  trying  to  quench  my  thirst.  Everything  in  the  house 
felt  just  as  if  a  fire  had  been  burning  under  it,  and  the 
sand  and  dust  drifted  in  everywhere.  At  dawn  I  felt  so 
weary  that  I  thought  I  must  find  soniewliere  to  sleep,  so 
went  back  to  the  roof  and  found  the  hot  southern  wind 
still,  and  I  threw  myself  on  a  straw  mat  on  one  of  the 
bedsteads,  but  two  or  three  minutes  drove  me  from  there. 
Coming  down  into  Mr.  Alexander's  house,  I  tried  all  the 
unoccu])ied  corners,  but  everywhere  there  was  nothing  but 
heat,  heat,  heat." 

A  w'eek  later  she  writes  : 

"  It  is  still  extremely  hot.  Since  my  last  we  have  had 
another  terrible  simoon.  We  were  awakened  at  dawn  by 
a  strange  burning  wind.  Looking  South  we  could  see  the 
sand  clouds  coming,  and  as  w^e  were  on  the  roof  we  made 
haste  to  get  down.  The  storm  lasted  about  two  hours,  I 
think,  the  air  being  yellow — the  color  of  desert  sands.  Of 
course  the  heat  was  great,  indeed  for  a  Aveek  it  was  almost 
a  burden  to  live.  In  Dr.  Hogg's  house  the  thermometer 
was  from  one  hundred  degrees  to  one  hundred  and  twelve 
degrees  all  the  time.  During  the  recent  great  heat  the 
water  was  going  over  on  the  eastern  shore  where  there  was 
none  at  all  last  year,  and  in  consequence  the  weather  was 
such  as  the  natives  say  never  was  hwwii  here  before.  In 
the  house  of  an  Italian  near  us,  the  mother  died  one  day 
and  the  father  the  next,  from  no  known  cause  except  heat. 
Arabs  also  died  in  tlie  same  way.  This  has  been  hereto- 
fore unheard  of 

We  have  been  trying  very  hard  to  find  a  house  in  which 
we  could  be  comfortable.  There  are,  perhaps,  a  dozen /?ie 
houses  in  Osiout,  but  the  remaining  thousands  are  models 
only  of  darkness,  dirt  and  small  rooms." 

"  August  29th. — The  last  week  has  been  cooler,  the  ther- 
mometer being  from  ninety-one  degrees  to  ninety-three  de- 


240  LIFE   AXD    LETTERS   OF 

grees  in  the  closed  room.  Yesterday  I  put  it  out  in  the 
porch  at  four  o'clock  in  the  afternoon  when  the  sun  had 
disappeared  from  that  side  of  the  house  entirely,  and  the 
mercury  ran  up  to  one  hundred  and  fifteen  degrees.  To- 
day, as  it  is  Saturday,  I  went  to  the  house  of  one  of  our 
rich  men  who  bought  a  piano  for  his  daughter  and  doesn't 
know  what  to  do  with  it,  and  though  I  went  early,  the 
heat  was  very  oppressive.  If  it  were  not  that  we  are  mis- 
sionaries, and  realize  what  we  have  come  here  for,  it  would 
be  venj  hard  to  stay.  We  have  almost  no  fruit,  so  far  ;  no 
vegetables  scarcely,  and  cannot  have  milk  and  butter  un- 
til clover  comes ;  that  is,  we  cannot  drink  the  milk  or 
make  butter. 

We  have  all  been  sick,  except  Mr.  Alexander ;  and  the 
Moslem  doctor  says  it  is  from  sleeping  on  the  roof.  So  we 
have  been  trying  to  sleep  down  stairs  ;  but  it  is  poor  suc- 
cess. 1  think  I  have  never  been  so  discouraged  since  we 
have  been  here.  The  summers  are  so  long,  and  when  we 
cannot  sleep  at  night  we  have  so  little  energy  left  for  the 
long,  hot  day. 

Our  house  is  very  much  against  us.  In  this  country  it 
is  necessity  to  have  the  air  from  the  North  in  summer,  and 
to  have  sunshine  in  winter.     We  cannot  get  either." 

"  April  26th. — This  is  Saturday,  and  a  long,  dreary,  op- 
pressive one  it  has  been.  The  "  South  wind,"  which 
brought  heat  long  ago,  brings  it  still.  It  has  blown  almost 
like  a  storm  all  day,  and  the  air  has  been  like  "  the  breath 
of  a  furnace."  There  is  an  open  jDassage  from  our  sitting 
room  to  the  dining  room  and  here  the  thermometer  went 
up  to  one  hundred  and  eighteen  degrees.  We  shut  our- 
selves in  the  little  sitting  and  bed  room  by  eight  o'clock  in 
the  morning  and  all  are  reading,  writing  and  other  work 
must  be  done  in  comparative  darkness,  very  trying  to  weak 


MRS.    MARY   GALLOWAY    GIFFEX.  241 

eyes.  Once  this  afternoon  we  were  startled  by  a  loud,  sud- 
den report,  as  if  a  stone  had  been  thrown  in  the  room. 
On  examination  we  found  it  was  the  end  of  my  bureau — 
which  had  burst  from  top  to  bottom  for  the  third  time — 
the  hot  winds  of  A])ril  being  harder  on  furniture  than  the 
steady  heat  of  summer.  These  winds  prevail  for  fifty  days, 
but  every  fourth  day  is  usually  cool — sometimes  chilly,  and 
these  constant  changes  produce  much  sickness.  Mr.  G. 
was  greatly  oppressed  with  the  heat  to-day  and  had  neither 
strength  or  energy  to  do  anything." 

"  August  20t]i. — We  have  been  back  in  our  j)laces  hard  at 
work  for  the  last  ten  days.  It  was  exceedingly  "  uphill  " 
work  the  first  four  or  five  days.  The  journey  here  from 
Cairo  was  the  liardest  I  ever  experienced.  It  was  very 
hot  and  you  can  form  no  idea  of  the  dust.  The  others 
would  run  down  to  the  canal  at  almost  every  station  and 
wash  their  heads  and  faces,  but  my  head  ached  so  that  I 
was  content  not  to  move.  You  never  saw  so  dirty  a  house 
as  we  had  to  come  into  just  at  night,  without  supper  or 
drinkable  water.  But  worst  of  all  we  tossed  through  the 
whole  night  with  almost  no  rest.  The  hot  rare  atmosphere 
made  us  itch  and  sting  so  that  sleep  was  almost  impossible 
even  outside  the  house.  There  had  been  very  little  real 
hot  weather  until  that  day  and  the  natives  declare  we 
"  brought  the  heat."  The  nights  were  worse  than  the  days, 
we  got  up  in  the  morning  with  a  feeling  that  we  could  not 
live  here.     But  such  things  happily  do  not  last  always." 

If  the  intense  heat  experienced  is  a  serious  obstacle  to 
effective  work,  ophthalmia,  in  its  varied  forms,  is  far  more 
so.  Happily  in  this  favored  country  we  know  little  of 
this  Eastern  scourge.  All  other  causes  combined  have  not 
done  so  nuich  to  drive  faithful  missionaries  from  Egypt 
and  from  mission  work,  and  to  disable  them  for  life,  as 


242  LIFE    AND    LETTERS   OF 

this  dreaded  disease.  Mrs.  Giffen's  case  proved  no  excep- 
tion. Her  experience  in  this  particular  is  recorded  in  these 
words : 

"  About  two  weeks  ago  a  violent  eruption  broke  out  on 
Bruce's  face  and  soon  entered  his  eyes,  which,  with  the 
exception  of  tliree  days,  had  already  been  sore  for  seven 
months.  It  became  quite  alarming,  and  as  I  was  just  re- 
covering from  another  and  more  acute  attack  of  ophthalmia, 
and  able  to  do  nothing  either  in  the  house  or  out  of  it,  we 
decided  that  I  had  better  take  Bruce  to  Dr.  Grant  in 
Cairo.  He  pronounced  the  eruption  contagious,  and  most 
probably  caused  by  some  diseased  native  having  touched 
him.  Our  house  is  in  the  midst  of  a  low  class  of  people, 
and  he  may  readily  have  come  in  contact  with  some  one 
of  the  hundreds  of  such  persons  who  are  every  day  to  be 
seen  in  the  streets. 

Of  course  with  such  a  disease  I  could  not  ask  any  one 
else  to  come  in  contact  with  Bruce,  and  I  was  too  weak  to 
take  care  of  him  night  and  day.  Neither  could  I  apply 
the  medicine  to  his  face  and  eyes  alone.  So  I  telegraphed 
Mr.  Giffen  to  meet  me  in  Ramie,  and  started  down  the 
second  day  after  my  arrival  in  Cairo.  Bruce  had  taken 
some  breakfast,  but  could  not  open  his  eyes.  I  put  a  large 
sunbonnet  on  him,  and  a  light  shawl  over  that  when  in 
the  light.  It  was  a  ride  of  seven  hours,  and  I  have  not 
often  s^^ent  more  anxious  ones.  The  fever  rose  again  and 
his  restlessness  became  extreme  ;  I  could  not  keep  his  face 
covered,  and  it  was  l)leeding  profusely.  The  car  was 
crowded  with  not  very  nice  people,  and  everybody  stared 
so  at  the  sore  face  and  little  blind  eyes.  The  tension  of  the 
last  hour  or  two  was  extreme.  I  had  besides  lost  a  good 
deal  of  sleep  and  was  greatly  fatigued.  But  when  I  went 
into  the  waiting  room  at  the  Ramie  station,  and  closed  all 


MRS.    MARY   GALLOWAY    (JIFFEN.  243 

the  blinds,  after  a  while  the  little  man  opened  his  eyes  and 
sat  on  the  divan  wliile  I  took  lunch  and  rested  myself,  f 
think  one  who  has  not  nursed  a  child  blind  from  ophthalmia 
— that  is  unable  to  open  its  eyes — cannot  guess  how  very 
pitiful  a  sight  it  is.  When  Bruce  was  four  months  old  he 
had  ophthalmia  very  severely.  Both  eyes  were  swollen 
until  the  lids  shone  like  glass  at  night.  Every  fifteen 
minutes  they  had  to  be  pulled  apart  to  allow  the  discharge 
to  come  out,  and  twice  a  day  the  lids  were  turned  entirely 
inside  out  and  brn-^hed  with  nitrate  of  silver  and  a  solution 
of  salt.  But  the  eyeballs  conld  not  be  seen.  This  was 
here  in  Kamle  when  Mr.  Giffen  was  up  the  Nile.  I  had 
never  seen  such  a  case,  did  not  know  what  to  do,  and  could 
not  get  the  doctor  when  I  sent  for  him.  So  at  a  venture  I 
got  Mr.  A.  to  help  me  apply  a  great  ugly  leech  to  each 
eye  lid.  The  doctor  approved  it  when  he  came,  and  next 
day  turned  out  the  lids  and  scarified  them.  The  blood 
streamed  over  the  little  face  and  I  never  can  forget  how  his 
lips  quivered.  After  another  day  I  could  detect  a  slight 
quivering  of  the  lids  as  if  he  were  trying  to  ojien  them, 
and  at  twilight  of  the  sixth  day  I  could  see  that  the  lids 
were  just  ])arted.  But  I  had  to  turn  him  over  on  his  face 
in  a  dark  room  to  enable  him  to  do  this.  It  is  very  pain- 
ful to  lie  on  the  back  in  ophthalmia,  pcrha})s  more  so  to 
grown  people  than  to  children.  In  my  last  attack  during 
the  meeting  of  Presbytery  I  could  not  lie  down  one  night 
for  four  or  five  hours,  and  the  hot  water  from  my  eyes 
greatly  irritated  my  face.  One  eyel)all  felt  as  if  a  nail 
were  through  it,  and  the  least  ray  of  light  seemed  unen- 
durable. Drs.  Lansing  and  Watson,  who  were  with  us  at 
the  time,  charge  the  greater  part  of  the  trouble  to  our 
house,  and  say  that  if  ophthalmia  of  that  kind  is  allowed 
to  continue  it  cannot  be  cured  in  the  Egyptian  climate." 


244  LIFE    AND    LETTERS   OF 

In  the  last  year  of  her  life,  even  in  Italy,  Mrs.  Giften  suf- 
fered severely  from  this  cause.   She  was  attacked  on  the  jour  - 
ney  to  Torre  Pellice,  and  tells  us  of  her  sufferings  in  these 
words : 

"  I  walked  slowly  and  not  very  far,  having  my  eyes  well 
protected  with  a  large  drooping  hat,  but  before  I  got  back 
I  felt  one  of  them  burn  a  little.  Monday  morning  after 
we  started  to  Pompeii,  Mr.  Giffen  remarked  that  the  inflam- 
mation had  increased  a  little,  but  as  we  were  not  in  Egypt 
we  did  not  think  of  it  amounting  to  anything.  I  wore  a 
double  veil  however  in  Pompeii,  besides  having  an  um- 
brella, and  when  we  started  back  Mr.  G.  said  he  was  glad 
to  see  that  it  was  no  worse.  However,  about  the  time  we 
reached  Naples  it  began  to  feel  uncomfortable  but  it  did 
not  amount  to  a  pain.  Still  before  we  finished  dinner  I 
could  scarcely  hold  it  open,  the  veins  in  my  temple  began 
to  swell,  the  temple  to  throb,  and  my  eye  to  burn.  By 
the  middle  of  the  afternoon  I  was  almost  wild  with 
pain  and  nervousness,  which  is  part  of  the  disease.  I 
really  wished  to  get  up  and  stamp  the  floor.  It  would 
have  been  a  real  satisfaction  to  have  torn  things  to  atoms, 
in  fact  to  have  just  abandoned  myself  to  the  wild  feel- 
ing which  completely  possessed  me.  Mr.  G.  had  gone  to 
take  our  tickets  to  Genoa,  and  though  Bruce  and  Lulu 
were  as  good  as  other  children  would  be  shut  up  in  a 
dark  room  and  left  to  amuse  themselves,  yet  I  thought  I 
could  not  endure  the  noise  they  made  until  their  papa 
Avould  get  back.  I  grew  steadily  worse  until  eight  o'clock 
when  Mr.  G.  began  giving  me  chlorodyne.  Dr.  Mackie 
had  told  him  to  use  it  when  I  had  a  severe  attack  of  oph- 
thalmia. But  the  dose  the  doctor  prescribed  had  no  per- 
ceptible effect.  I  waited  an  hour  and  took  more,  another 
hour  and   took  more,  but  did  not  get  relief  until  about 


MRS.    MAIIY    (iAl.I.OWAY    (ilFFEN.  245 

midnight.  Before  inorniug  I  became  very  sick  from  the 
chlorodyiie,  the  effect  being  almost  exactly  the  same  as 
sea-sickness.  AVe  had  Avished  to  leave  at  eight  o'clock 
but  I  could  not  hold  up  my  head,  and  none  of  our  things 
had  been  packed.  We  had  not  brought  a  trunk  and  the 
valises  require  so  much  more  time  and  care.  So  Mr.  G. 
did  the  best  he  could  Avith  tli^i  and  the  children,  in  the 
dark  room,  and  got  all  ready  to  go  by  a  boat  at  noon.  I 
contrived  to  dress  after  a  fashion,  tied  a  handkerchief  over 
my  eyes,  put  a  shawl  over  my  hat  and  felt  my  way  down 
stairs  by  the  railing." 

AVhen  Naples  was  reached  she  w^as  better,  and  says  : 

"  Before  leaving  the  Custom  House  I  had  been  able  to 
take  the  shawl  off"  my  head,  and  I  walked  to  the  station 
with  only  my  veil  over  my  eyes.  No  one  knows  it  until 
he  has  experienced  it,  how  pleasant  it  is  to  pull  off  ban- 
dages and  look  freely  at  objects  around  you,  after  an 
attack  of  ophthalmia,  and  all  this  day  I  could  feel  my  eye 
growing  stronger  every  hour,  and  the  contraction  in  that 
side  of  my  face  gradually  relaxing." 

A  letter  of  inquiry  addressed  to  Mr.  Giff'en  in  regard  to 
the  origin  and  effects  of  ophthalmia,  elicited  the  following 
reply  :  "  It  is  the  Egyptian  hydra — a  many-formed  evil 
to  which  the  eyes  are  subject  in  this  country.  I  have 
never  seen  any  one  book  that  describes  all  the  forms  even 
of  the  first  attack,  and  then  that  which  has  one  form  at 
first  may  soon  change — if  not  cured  will  certainly  change 
— and  finally  assume  some  chronic  form  ;  it  may  be  of 
simple  granulations  on  the  inner  surface  of  the  lids;  it 
may  be  a  cataract,  opacity,  or  total  blindness," 

The  real  cause  of  sore  eyes  in  Egypt  is  a  mystery.  The 
cause,  whatever  it  be,  is  greatly  aided  by  the  dirt,  squalor, 
wretchedness  and  want  in  which  the  people  live,  although 


246  LIFE   AND    LETTERS   OF 

no  amount  of  cleanliness  and  careful  living  can  be  a  com- 
plete safeguard  against  the  disease. 

Some  of  the  missionaries  have  suffered  greatly  from 
ophthalmia,  others  with  apparently  no  better  general 
health,  or  more  rugged  constitutions  have  suffered  none  at 
all.  Almost  all  children  suffer  more  or  less  from  it.  That 
it  is  a  hindrance  to  mission  work  is  apparent  when  we 
think  of  the  precious  time  and  strength  we  Avaste  in 
caring  for  our  own  weak  eyes  and  those  of  our  chil- 
dren ;  and  that  it  has  been  the  main  cause  that  has  sent 
out  of  the  field  nearly  all  the  missionaries  that  have  re- 
tired from  the  work  in  Egypt.  It  is  the  cause  of  most 
of  the  blindness  seen  among  the  native  school-teachers, 
and  the  vast  number  of  beggars  mentioned  by  all  travel- 
ers who  have  Avritten  about  Egypt.  You  may  wonder 
why  I  mention  school-teachers  with  the  miserable  blind 
beggars.  Simply  because  if  a  poor  person  becomes  blind 
he  has  been  shut  up  to  the  alternative  of  entering  one  of 
these  classes.  If  he  is  bright,  and  has  opportunities  for 
learning  by  hearing  some  one  read,  then  he  may  commit 
])art  of  the  New  Testament,  if  a  Christian  ;  or  of  the  Ko- 
ran, if  a  Moslem,  and  thus  earns  a  few  piasters,  or  a  few 
loaves  of  bread,  or  a  bushel  of  grain  per  month  teaching 
school.  Until  we  began  to  send  out  teachers  from  our 
college  the  blind  teacher  was  the  onlv  one  known  in  the 
schools  of  Upper  Egypt.  The  unfortunate  victim  of 
blindness  who  has  neither  opportunity  to  learn,  nor  friends 
to  support  him,  must  go  into  the  streets  and  beg." 

A  beggar — and  1)1  ind — and  upon  the  streets  of  Asyoot 
— could  human  wretchedness  be  more  deep  ?  Verily  there 
is  Aveighty  obligation  upon  the  people  of  this  land  in  re- 
gard to  their  unfortunate  brethren  in  such  lands  as  Egypt. 


MRP.    :MARY    GALI/nVAY    OIFFEX.  247 

CHAPTER  XXIV. 

HER    father's    death. 

Rev.  Jonatluni  Galloway  died,  of  pneumonia,  at  his 
home,  in  Due  We^t,  on  ord  of  jMarcli,  1871).  When  Mr;*. 
Gitfen  was  informed  of  the  tact  she  wrote  to  her  sister  as 
follows  : 

"  Your  long  letter  about  Pa  came  last  week,  and  I  felt 
sure  I  would  hear  again  Wednesday  night,  but  only  the 
paper  came.  Still  I  hope  I  may  hear  to-night.  .  .  . 
How  hard  it  must  have  been.  But  I  infer  you  were  all 
reconciled  to  it,  and  could  in  some  measure  rejoice  that  a 
long  life  of  suffering  and  much  anxiety  was  over,  to  begin 
in  the  world  of  rest  and  glory.  It  was  very  hard,  at  iirst, 
for  me  to  imagine  the  house  wdthout  him.  If  I  tried  to 
see  you  in  my  mind,  he  was  sitting,  at  the  table,  or  by  the 
fire,  or  out  on  the  steps,  and  especially  it  seemed  so  easy  to 
see  him  and  INIa  going  t(j  church  together.  It  seemed  hard 
to  me,  to  think  that  you  had  been  without  him  a  whole 
month,  and  I  did  not  know.  But  I  do  not  feel  the  separa- 
tion as  you  do.  When  I  left  home,  I  think  my  feelings 
were  just  of  the  natm-e  of  death — the  same  in  kind  what- 
ever they  may  have  lacked  in  degree,  and  now  Pa  does  not 
seem  any  further  from  me  than  before.  I  do  not  think  of 
him  as  buried,  but  always  as  in  heaven,  and  sometimes  I 
think  of  him  and  the  ones  who  went  before,  much  as  I  do 
of  you  ;  and  when  I  lead  about  lieaven  it  is  like  news  from 
home. 

I  do  not  grieve  for  myself,  but  it  does  pain  me  to  think 
of  you — to  think  how  the  large  circle  is  melting  away,  and 
how  lonely  you  will  be  this  summer.     But  Pa's  anxieties 


248  LIFE   AND    LETTERS   OF 

and  sufferings  are  over  and  he  is  at  rest  now.  I  think  I 
rejoice  more  in  that  than  anything  else.  I  know  he  would 
not  feel  about  me  as  he  would  have  done,  had  he  died  the 
winterl  wasinMansoora,  forlamnotalonenow.  *  *  *  * 
The  night  I  got  your  letter  I  could  not  sleep.  It  seemed 
to  me  I  was  with  you  in  the  parlor  where  he  was  dying, 
and  that  I  saw  it  all.  It  stays  too  in  my  mind  and  seems 
a  real  thing.  How  long  was  it  before  he  died  that  he  said 
he  was  going  to  Sarah  ? — [Sarah,  Mrs.  Giifen's  little  sister, 
who  died  twenty  years  before,  when  she  was  six  years  old, 
and  to  whom  her  father  was  ardently  attached. — Ed.] 

I  wonder  if  consciousness  remained  after  the  great  suf- 
fering was  passed  ?  Sometimes  I  have  thought  it  would  be 
just  like  going  to  sleep.  *  *  *  *  i^  seems  hard  that 
I  could  not  be  with  you,  and  sometimes  I  feel  hard-hearted 
that  I  do  not  feel  deeper  grief,  but  I  cannot  sorrow  for  Pa. 
He  had  had  a  long  and  useful  life.  I  am  sure  he  did  not 
live  in  vain.  He  was  meek — as  meek  as  that  article  in  the 
paper  makes  him,  but  he  was  a  man  of  far  more  force  of 
character  than  was  shown  there.  I  think  he  was  the  most 
self-sacrificing  man  I  ever  knew.  I  am  sure  his  first  wish 
was  for  us,  that  we  might  serve  and  glorify  God,  and  I 
doubt  not  we  have  a  rich  legacy  left  us  and  our  children  in 
the  prayers  he  offered  for  us." 

In  a  letter  to  the  writer  referring  to  the  same  event  she 
says :  *'  If  I  could  only  have  known  at  the  time  I  would 
feel  so  differently.  It  seems  so  hard  to  go  back  and  try  to 
go  through  such  sad  scenes,  when  all  has  been  so  long  over, 
and  to  think  that  our  friends  die  when  we  are  at  school  or 
asleep.  Dr.  Boyce  wrote  me  the  night  Pa  was  buried — how 
terrible  it  seems  to  write  those  words — -and  yet  I  do 
not  think  often  of  him  as  in  the  grave.  How  much  more 
of  a  reality  it  gives  to  heaven  to  think  that  our  friends  are 


MRR.    l\r.VT;Y    OAI.T.OWAY    OTFFKX.  249 

there.  It  seems  to  nie  now  that  I  have  two  homes,  that  Ma 
is  with  one  part,  and  Pa  with  the  other,  and  each  I  hope 
has  three  of"  us  children  with  them  ;  and  the  other  three 
of  us  are  .w  scattered.  [  remember  once  feeling  very  sad 
and  desolate,  very  much  oppressed  in  the  English  ceme- 
tery in  Alexandria.  AVe  had  gone  there  to  see  the  graves 
of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  C'nrry — two  of  our  missicmaries — and  I 
wondered  who  of  the  rest  of  us  would  lie  there.  =f=  *  * 
"  How  strange  it  seems  that  it  will  soon  be  two  years  since 
Pa  went  away.  How  different  they  have  been  to  him  from 
what  they  have  been  to  you.  Is  it  not  a  blessed  thouijht 
that  he  has  notsuffered  in  all  that  you  have  gone  through  ^  " 
**'*'"  This  is  the  anniversary  of  Pa's  death.  Two 
years  !  Well,  I  am  sure  he  has  been  made  '  perfectly  blessed 
in  the  full  enjoyment  of  God,'  and  I  hope  he  knows  about 
us,  and  loves  us  yet,  without  feeling  any  soi-i'ow  in  what 
befalls  us." 

Not  many  months  after  this  Mrs.  Giffen  almost  expe- 
rienced another  great  sorrow.  Her  little  daughter  Lulu 
was  seized  with  fever  and  brought  to  the  verge  of  the 
grave.  To  her  sister  Mrs.  Giffen  writes  :  "  We  have  been 
through  a  dark  valley  with  her  this  week.  We  thought 
she  had  died  in  my  arms  on  last  Tuesday  night,  when  I 
supposed  she  was  sleeping.  Her  face  was  cold  and  waxen- 
looking,  there  was  no  pulse,  no  movement  of  the  chest,  no 
sign  of  life,  and  we  were  sure  our  little  darling  had  been 
taken  from  us.  How  fearful  it  seemed,  to  sit  there  with 
our  little  dead  baby  between  us.  Our  minds  w^ere  in  such 
awful  confusion  that  it  was  hard  to  feel  anything  else  than 
our  great  pain.  I  begged  Mr.  Giffen  to  let  us  look  at  her 
as  long  as  we  could  keep  her  in  our  arms  before  she  would 
be  taken  away  to  be  made  ready  for  her  last  resting  place. 
In  doing  this  we  moved  her  and  she  opened  her  eyes.     It 


250  LIFE    AXD    LETTERS    OF 

was  just  like  the  dead  returning  to  life.  We  knelt  down 
beside  her  and  prayed  for  the  little  life  to  be  s})ared  us  if 
it  were  God's  will,  and  then  when  the  others  came  Dr. 
Hogg  made  a  very  solemn  affecting  prayer  for  us.  We 
watched  all  night  fearing  the  little  life  might  go  any  mo- 
Jiient,  But  by  the  next  day  she  was  better,  and  we  packed 
up  a  few  things,  put  her  on  a  pillow  and  came  to  Dr. 
Hogg's,  for  it  seemed  suicidal  to  stay  in  that  wretched  air. 
Sometimes  now  when  I  take  my  little  dear  in  my  arms  it 
seems  as  if  she  had  come  back  to  us  from  heaven.  That 
night  when  we  had  no  hope,  my  human  heart  would  keep 
thinking  about  her  going  to  Pa — one  more  little  dear  one 
to  be  with  him  there.  It  seemed  so  natural  to  think  that 
our  Saviour  would  take  her  to  those  so  dear  to  us.  But 
now  I  hope  she  is  spared  to  us  to  train  for  heaven,  when- 
ever it  shall  be  His  will  to  take  her." 


CHAPTER  XXV. 

ASYOOT    COLLEGE — NEGOTIATIONS — PPvESEXT    PROSPECTS. 

"  I  mentioned  some  time  since  Mv.  GiflTen's  hurried  re- 
turn here  to  confer  with  Dr.  Hogg  about  the  purchase  of 
a  site  for  the  college.  They  were  not  well  pleased,  ])ut  the 
owner  of  the  land  made  them  a  very  fair  offer  of  positions 
for  the  two  schools  in  the  tract  which  he  was  reported  to 
have  just  purchased.  And  after  a  good  deal  of  conference 
and  reflection  it  was  about  agreed  to  accept  the  offer. 
Just  then  it  came  to  light  that  there  had  been  no  purchase 
and  that  Chowai^a  AVeesa  had   no  titles  to  the  land  from 


MRS.    MARY    GALLOWAY   ftlFPEK.  251 

the  government  and  might  never  get  any !  One  of  the 
Bashas  had  been  sent  up  here  after  Rivers  Wilson  was 
dismissed  "  to  get  money."  Chowaga  Weesa  had  agreed 
with  him  as  to  the  terms  of  the  sale,  but  the  Basha  had 
been  recalled  by  rumors  of  abdication  before  the  sale  of 
the  land  was  completed.  Of  course  Chowega  Weesa  still 
hoped  to  secure  the  ])roperty,  but  being  an  Oriental  he 
would  let  Dr.  Hogg  and  Mr.  Giffen  hurry  here  and  would 
spend  ten  days  waiting  on  his  movements,  and  discussing 
what  he  would  give  or  what  they  would  take  before  he 
would  say  that  he  had  no  land  to  sell  them.  Of  course  it 
was  a  disappointment,  but  missionaries  have  to  get  accus- 
tomed to  such  things. 

When  all  this  failed  to  come  to  anything  Weesa  told 
them  there  was  a  nice  garden  in  the  city  which  he  could 
buy  for  them,  but  he  thought  the  owner  would  ask  $2,500 
for  the  seven  acres.  The  situation  is  very  desirable,  but 
the  gentlemen  scarcely  felt  like  making  such  an  offer. 
Since  then  it  appears  that  it  might  be  bought  for  less  and 
Mr.  G.  is  very  anxious  to  hasten  the  business.  The  school 
building  now  in  use  is  greatly  overcroAvded  and  is 
in  danger  of  falling  down  in  any  high  wind.  But 
nothing  can  be  done  except  through  these  slow  riatives. 
Nobody  will  sell  to  us  because  we  are  Protestants — or 
rather  because  we  represent  and  act  for  the  sect.  So  the 
gentlemen  have  even  to  look  at  a  jnece  of  ground  secretly. 
Rich  Copts  will  run  up  land  thousands  of  jioiinds  to  keep 
us  from  getting  it  for  mmion  liurposes.  Individually  they 
probably  would  not  interfere  with  us." 

"April  20th. — Our  examinations  came  of  the  week  before 
the  meeting  of  the  Association.  This  gave  a  fresh  oppor- 
tunity to  agitate  the  question  of  a  site  for  the  college. 
Among  others  Dr.  Hogg  spoke  of  the  matter  to  the  Moslem 


252  LIFE    AND    LETTERS   OF 

physician  up  there.  A  few  days  subsequently  this 
man  met  Mr.  Alexander  and  told  him  he  had  been  in  con- 
versation with  a  certain  Khowaga  Hanna  who  owned  part 
of  the  Garden  near  the  station  and  Avho  would  sell  it  to 
the  mission  for  the  schools.  On  speaking  to  Dr.  Hogg  he 
exclaimed  :  "  Why  that  is  the  very  man  that  we  supposed 
would  do  everything  to  defeat  us !  "  This  Garden — as 
they  say  here — is  a  large  palm  grove,  and  is  owned  by  a 
great  many  persons  in  bits  of  a  fourth  or  half  an  acre. 
The  consent  of  several  families  had  therefore  to  be  ob- 
tained before  land  enough  could  be  benight.  Two  Avomen 
especially  had  to  be  coddled  into  the  matter.  Their  shares 
were  parts  of  their  inheritance,  and  as  such,  were  far  more 
valuable  than  the  same  amount  of  land  "  bought  with 
money."  You  remember  Naboth  was  unwilling  either  to 
exchange  his  vineyard  for  a  l^etter  one  or  to  sell  it  for 
money — though  it  was  a  king  who  desired  to  possess  it. 
"  Should  I  give  the  inheritance  of  my  father  unto  thee  ?  " 
Well,  NaI)oth's  feelings  and  principles  are  those  of  every 
rich  old  family  in  Asyoot  and  the  consequence  is  that  the 
mission  has  been  ten  years  trying  to  buy  ground  for  the 
schools  which  educate  the  children  of  almost  all  these 
families.  A  few  years  ago  Khowaga  Weesa — who  is  from 
a  rich  new  family,  that  is  a  "self-made  "  man  as  we  would 
say — persuaded  the  husbands  of  the  two  Avomen  referred 
to  above,  to  sell  him  their  shares  of  this  Garden  and  had 
actually  paid  down  the  money  when  the  women  heard  of 
it  and  compelled  their  hiisbands  to  rescind  the  contracts. 
"  Must  we  women  put  on  the  mantaloon  (pantaloons)  and 
maintain  the  honor  of  our  houses!  Sell  our  inheritance  to 
a  man  who  has  made  all  he  has !  Has  he  grown  so  rich 
and  we  become  so  poor  that  he  can  buy  and  Ave  need  to  sell ! 
Never ! ''     Selling  to  the  mission,  however,  is  a  little  dif- 


MRS.    MARY   GALLOWAY    GIFFEN.  253 

ferent  from  selling  to  individuals.  They  know  that  it  is 
not  for  ourselves,  that  it  is  for  a  religious  use.  There  is 
therefore  no  shame  in  selling  to  us,  only  it  is  selling  land, 
and  people  in  Asyoot  would  almost  as  soon  sell  their  chil- 
dren. No  further  results  were  obtained  during  the  meet- 
ing and  the  members  all  settled  down  into  the  belief  that 
the  college  would  have  to  be  taken  to  some  other  town." 

After  months  of  weary  waiting  and  fruitless  negotia- 
tions, she  writes : 

"  No  advance  has  been  made  in  the  matter  of  the  Gar- 
den. Even  our  own  members,  who  volunteei'ed  to  do  the 
buying,  are  evidently  working  against  us,  to  facilitate 
their  own  purchases.  The  greed  for  laud  in  Asyoot  ex- 
ceeds anything  I  ever  heard  of.  AVhat  we  have  bought  is 
not  sufficient  and  is  yet  undivided — that  is,  the  "  shares  " 
in  the  Garden  are  not  yet  located  so  that  each  owner  can 
say  this,  or  this  is  my  part.  We  hoped  to  be  able  to  buy 
more  and  then  to  exchange  one  piece  for  another  outside 
the  Garden,  more  desirable  for  the  front  of  the  lot,  but 
one  difficulty  after  another  has  been  thrown  in  the  way, 
until  the  feeling  is  becoming  very  strong  that  we  will  be 
compelled  to  sell  what  we  have  and  go  to  some  other  town. 
The  rich  men  of  Asyoot  do  not  want  us  to  leave,  and  do 
not  believe  that  we  will.  The  college,  if  built  near  the 
railroad  station,  wjould  greatly  increase  the  value  of  the 
property  of  many  of  them,  both  Copts  and  Moslems,  and 
besides  they  know  that  they  would  be  compelled  to  send 
their  children  from  home  to  be  educated  if  we  left  Asyoot. 
But  we  have  waited  and  waited  for  ten  years  nearly,  and 
they  think  we  will  continue  to  wait  until  they  get  as  much 
land  as  they  wish  for  themselves. 

At  present  the  gentlemen  are  trying  to  negotiate  with 
the   Government  for  another  Garden.     If  we  could  get 


254  LIFE   AND    LETTERS   OF 

that,  what  we  now  have  could  be  sokl.  After  a  month 
Dr.  Hogg  will  return  to  Asyoot  and  then  I  hope  we  can 
all  unite  in  special  prayer  for  guidance  and  direction  in 
this  matter. 

October  26th. — Wednesday  and  Thursday  nights  of  this 
we  had  a  concert  of  prayer  with  reference  to  '  the  site  for 
the  college.  We  bought  land  in  good  faith  and  paid  for 
it.  But  those  who  sold  it  now  refuse  to  divide  the  gar- 
den, and  give  the  amount  for  which  we  have  paid — that  is 
they  won't  agree  to  anything  we  propose.  They  say  "  it 
is  not  their  custom"  to  be  in  a  hurry  about  parting  with 
land.  The  influential  one  among  these  men  is  the  old 
uncle  of  that  little  Frooza  who  married  Khowaga  Wasif 's 
nephew  last  winter.  And  his  greed  for  land  is  something 
amazing.  Our  gentlemen  cannot  get  these  men  to  meet 
them  except  for  Kh.  AVasif  to  send  for  them  to  come  to 
his  house.  Then  one  will  come,  and  another  send  word 
that  he  is  sick  and  another  busy,  etc.,  etc.  And  even 
when  they  do  come  they  just  sit  and  count  strings  of  beads 
or  smoke  in  your  face.  So  we  thought  we  would  all  meet 
and  lay  the  matter  before  the  Lord,  beseeching  him  to 
show  us  why  he  had  a  controversy  with  us,  and  to  shoAV  us 
plainly  ^vhat  he  Avould  have  us  do.  Our  meetings  were 
solemn  and  we  tried  to  empty  ourselves,  and  to  plead  with 
our  Heavenly  Father  to  guide  us.  It  really  does  seem 
sometimes  that  every  indication  of  Providence  is  that  we 
must  sell  what  we  have  bought  and  go  elsewhere. 

November  20th. — We  have  at  last  secured  a  division  of 
the  Garden,  and  that  of  course  brings  up  the  building 
question  again.  After  our  concert  of  prayer  the  gentle- 
men got  the  heirs  all  together  and  worked  a  whole  day  to 
get  a  suitable  piece  or  indeed  any  piece,  but  the  one  who 
OAvned  the  most  would  do  nothing  at  all  until  the  Garden 


MRS.    MARY    GALLOWAY   GIPFEX.  255 

was  divided  into  thirds  and  "  the  lot "  cast  for  his  third. 
And  he  got  just  what  we  wanted.  After  that  we  could 
only  get  ours  in  three  pieces.  The  largest  is  one  and  one- 
fourth  acres  and  does  not  please  us  very  well  as  a  site. 
Besides  it  is  so  nnich  smaller  than  we  wished.  It  is  still 
possible  though  to  effect  an  exchange  and  get  an  equiv- 
alent for  our  three  pieces  in  one  piece  outside  of  the  Gar- 
den. But  it  may  take  half  a  year  longer  to  do  this.  In 
case  we  succeed  in  this  we  could  have  the  girls'  boarding- 
school  on  the  same  lot,  and  that  would  be  a  great  advan- 
tage in  many  ways.  Dr.  Hogg  and  Mr.  Giffen  were  to 
have  gone  this  afternoon  to  survey  our  largest  piece,  so 
that  they  may  be  able  to  determine  upon  plans  for 
building.  If  they  see  that  they  can  put  the  kind  of 
of  house  they  wish  on  this  piece  they  will  then  most 
likely  begin  collecting  materials  and  making  up  esti- 
mates, etc.,  etc.  By  the  time  the  brick  and  lumber  are 
ready  it  will  probably  appear  on  which  piece  of  ground 
we  must  build  and  the  work  will  then  go  on. 

December  28th. — They  are  cutting  down  the  palm  trees 
on  our  lot,  and  are  bringing  earth  and  stones.  One  thous- 
and cubic  metres  of  stone  are  to  be  delivered  within  two 
months  at  a  cost  of  about  one  dollar  per  metre.  That  is 
Jive  timea  as  expensive  as  around  Cairo.  In  consequence 
they  have  had  to  abandon  ihe  idea  of  building  entirely 
of  stone,  as  was  desirable  in  order  to  have  the  house  cool 
in  summer.  Only  foundations  will  be  of  stone,  and  it  is 
thought  these  nnist  be  two  metres  broad,  (seventy-nine 
inches),  but  they  will  not  require  to  be  more  than  a  metre 
deep." 

Most  of  the  foundation  for  the  main  building  has  now 
been  laid,  and  the  workmen  are  busy  erecting  the  Avails  of 
the  other  minor  buildings.      The    entire  work   is    being 


256  LIFE   AND    LETTERS   OP 

pushed  forward  to  completion  as  rapidly  as  circumstances 
will  permit.  In  the  meantime  the  college  is  flourishing  as 
never  before.  The  dormitory,  for  the  poorer  classes  of 
students  who  must  live  as  cheaply  as  possible,  accommo- 
dates ninety,  and  is  full,  and  some  have  not  been  removed 
from  the  old  building.  Boon  room  will  be  made  for  one- 
third  more,  and  then  with  little  expense  rooms  for  as  many 
more  can  be  constructed  on  the  second  floor.  The  pupils 
now  in  attendance  number  one  hundred  and  sixty-nine. 
The  future  of  the  college  seems  very  bright. 

In  a  recent  letter  Mr.  GifTen  says : 

"  The  college  is  now  doing  a  great  Avork  in  the  way  of 
furnishing  teachers  for  village  schools.  At  least  twenty  of 
our  undergraduates  are  at  this  time  engaged  in  teaching, 
and  of  course  every  one  copies  as  well  and  as  faithfully  as 
he  can  the  only  model  he  knows  anything  about.  If  Mr, 
Pressly  of  Monmouth,  111.,  (a  brother  of  Rev.  James  P. 
Pressly,  D.  D.,)  could  only  pass  up  and  down  the  Nile 
and  see  these  teachers  at  work — nearly  all  of  whom  have 
been  helped  by  the  fund  which  he  so  generously  provided 
it  would  certainly  rejoice  his  heart,  that  he  had  been  the 
chosen  means  for  placing  money  where  it  is  doing  so 
much  good." 


MRS.    MARY   GALLOWAY    (i[FFEX.  257 


CHAPTER  XXVI. 

8EVERE    ILLNESS — JOURNEY   TO    ITALY — VESL'VIUS — POM- 
PEII. 

The  repeated  and  severe  illness  which  Mrs.  Giften  ex- 
perienced just  at  this  time  seemed  to  make  it  imperative 
to  seek  rest  and  recuperation  in  some  other  climate.  Dur- 
ing the  absence  of  the  gentlemen  at  a  session  of  the  Pres- 
bytery, Eddie  Alexander  was  seized  with  diptheria  and 
soon  fell  a  victim.  AVatching  and  nursing  the  little  suf- 
ferer had  greatly  enfeebled  and  prostrated  jNIrs.  Giffen, 
and  on  the  day  that  he  was  buried  she  writes : 

"  That  day  I  had  a  good  deal  of  fever,  but  Mr.  Giffen 
came  at  sunset  and  I  felt  comforted.  The  fever  kept  up, 
however,  until  Thursday,  when  I  felt  obliged  to  get  a  girls' 
school  ready  for  examination  before  the  commissioners, 
on  the  next  Monday.  That  gave  me  hard  work  for  the 
rest  of  the  week.  Monday  we  were  all  day  in  the  church, 
Tuesday  the  commissioners,  Drs.  Barr  and  Stewart,  \\\{\\ 
all  our  mission  circle  dined  with  us.  That  night  we  were 
invited  to  Kh.  Wasif's  to  a  dinner  of  fifteen  courses.  It 
was  eleven  when  we  left  the  table  and  midnight  when  Ave 
got  home.  Next  morning  I  went  to  the  college.  About 
night  I  took  a  chill,  was  very  sick  all  night  and  continued 
to  grow  worse  and  worse  with  severe  pain  in  my  chest.  By 
.Saturday  hope  was  almost  gone,  but  they  decided  to  tele- 
graph to  Cairo  for  a  doctor.  The  telegram  reached  Dr. 
Grant  just  barely  in  time  for  him  to  dispatch  to  a  town 
not  far  from  Alexandria  for  a  Germa«i  doctor  to  come  to 
Cairo  on  that  night's  express  and  go  next  day  to  Asyoot. 
He  arrived  at  sunset  Sabbath  night,  but  all  I  suppose  had 


258  LIFE   AND    LETTERS   OF 

then  quite  lost  hope.  When  Mr.  G.  heard  the  train  com- 
ing he  thought  it  was  of  no  avail,  but  after  a  careful  ex- 
amination the  doctor  began  "  cold  water  "  treatment  very 
vig(jrously  and  at  ten  o'clock  left  me  better.  Next  day 
however  I  was  worse,  but  he  kept  up  the  treatment, 
wrapped  me  in  a  thick  wet  sheet,  fanned  me  and  gave  me 
wine  of  ipecac  and  after  I  began  to  sliiver,  removed  the 
sheet  and  applied  twelve  leeches  to  my  side,  the  wounds 
of  Avhich  bled  all  night.  No  one  who  knows  of  the  case 
doubts  that  he  Avas  the  means  of  saving  my  life.  Five  or 
six  days  after  Lulu  was  severely  attacked  with  fever.  By 
the  time  she  was  out  of  danger,  I  took  another  disease, 
which  seemed  half  East  India  jungle  fever  and  half 
scarlet  fever,  which  greatly  prostrated  me,  and  just  as  soon 
as  I  could  get  out  bed  from  that,  we  had  to  get  our  things 
together  to  leave  the  house  we  were  in.  We  decided  that 
I  should  take  the  children  to  Cairo.  There  Bruce  took 
dengue  and  when  he  got  better  I  Avent  to  Ramie.  That 
night  Lulu  Avas  attacked  Avith  the  dengue  also,  and  Avas 
very  sick  for  a  few  days.  80  much  loss  of  sleep  and  gen- 
eral Aveariness  began  to  tell  badly  on  me,  and  to  make  me 
long  to  be  aAvay  from  Egypt  for  aAvhile. 

Just  then  too  it  became  apparent  that  Mr.  Giffen  could 
not  go  on  with  the  building  during  the  summer,  as  there 
Avas  necessity  for  finishing  the  business  of  the  titles  before 
the  Cadi  or  Moslem  judge.  80  we  decided  to  go  to  Italy 
for  a  short  time  and  try  to  gather  up  strength  and  energy 
for  next  year's  Avork  and  responsibilities." 

Just  at  this  time  the  intelligence  of  the  death  of  Dr. 
Bonner  reached  her,  and  to  Mrs.  Bonner  she  Avrote  :  "  We 
have  been  afflicted  and  tossed,  but  I  need  not  tell  you  that 
we  have  spoken  and  thought  much  of  you.  I  am  sure 
that  I  can  sympathize  with  you,  since  we  were  almost  cer- 


MRP.    MARY   GALLOWAY    (41FFEX.  269 

tain  that  our  time  of  parting  had  al.so  come.  The  first 
time  Ave  had  prayers  after  I  was  able  to  .sit  beside  Mr. 
Gifl'en,  he  selected  the  116th  Psahn,  and  wliile  we  sang 
it  witli  full  hearts  I  longed  that  you  and  you]'.«  also 
might  live  to  rejoice  in  singing  it  together.  But  it  Avas 
not  God's  will.  How  sad  it  is,  how  sore  it  makes  one's  heart 
to  give  up  the  greatest  blessing  we  ever  enjoyed.  How 
different  home  will  seem  in  some  respect,  if  I  am  ever  per- 
mitted to  see  it.  So  many  are  gone,  and  perhaj)s  many 
more  may  go  before  I  am  there.  But  last  spring  in  Asyoot 
I  supposed  that  I  would  meet  first  the  dear  (jnes  "  gone  be- 
fore." It  is  comforting  that  it  is  the  All  Knowing,  the 
Ever  Kind  one  who  holds  all  in  His  hands." 

The  journey  to  Italy  was  made  without  any  noteworthy 
occurrence,  and  from  Naples  she  wrote  : 

"We  had  not  been  long  in  the  city  until  we  learned  that 
Vesuvius  was  in  unusually  active  condition,  and  that  many 
persons  were  hurrying  out  to  see  it.  On  inquiry,  however, 
we  learned  that  it  was  both  an  expensive  and  fatiguing  bit 
of  sight-seeing,  so  fatiguing  that  I  could  not  think  of  go- 
ing even  if  we  had  felt  able  to  pay  a  Napoleon  each  for 
the  trip.  So  Mr.  Giffen  went  alone.  At  the  Lower  Sta- 
tion he  met  with  a  juirty  of  good  United  Presbyterians 
from  Allegheny. 

There  are  two  car.^  only  on  the  railway.  One  is  descend- 
ing while  the  other  is  ascending.  They  are  moved  by  end- 
less wire  cables,  worked  by  an  engine  at  the  Lower  Station. 
The  cars  run  on  a  single  rail,  which  is  about  a  foot  in 
height  by  ten  inches  across.  There  is  a  wheel  at  each  end 
of  the  coach  running  on  the  top  of  the  rail,  while  from 
each  side  of  the  coach  there  are  arms,  which  pass  under 
at  an  angle,  are  furnished  with  wheels  at  their  lower  ex- 
tremities, and  run  in  grooves  upo}i  the  sides  of  one  rail. 


260  LIFE   ASD    LETTERS   OF 

Should  the  cable  break,  these  dele  wheels  clasp  the  rail 
automatically  and  hold  the  car  still  in  its  place.  In  con- 
sequence of  running  upon  a  single  rail,  there  is  no  jolting 
but  a  smooth,  even  motion,  at  about  the  rate  of  a  man 
walking  on  level  ground.  From  the  Lower  to  the  Upper 
Station  it  is  nine  minutes  by  the  car.  From  there  you 
walk  up  to  the  crater,  which  is  about  fifteen  minutes  dis- 
tant ;  and  it  is  for  this  part  of  the  trip  that  one  requires  a 
guide.  On  leaving  the  car  the  guides  were  in  readiness, 
and  Mr.  G.  fell  in  with  the  Allegheny  party. 

In  some  places  they  Avere  almost  suffocated  with  the 
sulphurous  fumes  rising  from  crevices  in  the  cooled  lava 
beds,  even  though  they  held  their  handkerchiefs  over  their 
nostrils.  A  large  stream  (^f  lava  was  running  down  the 
side  of  the  mountain  to  the  left  of  the  railway,  while  every 
few  minutes,  perhaps  every  three,  there  was  an  explosive 
burst  in  the  crater,  which  threw  up  a  great  column  of 
vapor,  smoke  and  melted  matter.  Tlie  latter  fell  in  show- 
ers all  around,  and  of  course  sight-seers  needed  to  watch 
to  avoid  being  struck  by  the  pieces.  Mr.  G.  brought  home 
a  bit  as  large  as  ray  closed  hand  which  fell  at  his  feet.  It 
is  black,  and  very  porous  and  brittle.  He  also  brought 
some  pieces  of  sulphur  from  the  crater. 

Some  ladies  who  had  paid  for  their  railway  tickets  had 
not  the  courage  to  make  the  ascent  to  the  crater,  or  even 
to  go  as  far  as  the  Upper  Station,  and  Mr.  G.  thought  that 
no  one  really  enjoyed  the  ascent.  There  was  too  much 
thunder,  too  much  hot  lava,  aud  too  many  Plutonian 
vapors  to  make  one  feel  content  to  stand  and  gaze  over 
the  grand  panorama  always  in  view  around  Naples,  and 
especially  when  seen  from  such  a  height  as  Mount  Vesuvius. 
Just  now  he  was  saying  that  if  he  were  going  out  there 
again  and  were  in  good  health,  he  would  take  the  ordinary 


MRS.    MAPA'    GALLOWAY   GIFFKN'.  261 

railway  to  Pompeii  as  far  as  Portici,  and  then  walk  across 
to,  and  lip,  Vesuvius  alone.  He. says  it  would  be  fatigu- 
ing, but  could  be  done  in  a  day.  When  he  and  his  party 
reached  the  lower  station,  he  heard  some  one  call  him,  and 
turning  round  he  found  himself  face  to  face  with  Miss 
Linn  Pressly,  of  Allegheny,  »who  was  just  about  to  take 
her  place  in  the  ascending  car.  She  was  greatly  surprised 
to  meet  any  one  she  knew  in  Vesuvius,  and  could  hardly 
believe  Miss  Galloway  was  in  Naples.  Mr.  G.  inquired 
why  she  wasn't  going  to  Egypt.  "  O,"  she  said,  "  the  At- 
lantic was  so  much  that  I  cannot  think  of  crossing  the 
Mediterranean."  I  (jttess  she  pays  tribute  to  Neptune,  too. 
Her  party  were  going  to  Rome  early  the  next  morning, 
and  she  said  they  would  not  get  back  from  Vesuvius  until 
nigcht,  when  she  would  be  too  weary  to  come  to  our  hotel. 
We  would  have  gone  to  see  her  at  theirs,  but  I  had  no  one 
with  whom  to  leave  Bruce  and  Lulu,  and  I  knew  they 
would  be  too  sleepy  to  take  out  calling  at  that  time  in  the 
evening.     So  we  did  not  meet. 

It  was  a  great  disappointment  to  me  that  I  could  not 
ascend  Vesuvius.  But  as  soon  as  I  understood  the  situa- 
tion I  knew  I  could  not  make  the  trip,  no  matter  how 
much  I  wished  to,  as  I  would  not  risk  my  health  for  any 
sight-seeing  in  Europe.  Indeed,  sight-seeing  to  Mission- 
aries is  a  very  different  thing  from  what  it  is  to  travelers. 
When  we  are  going  out,  Avhat  is  beyond  us  in  Egypt,  the 
unknow-n,  untried  life,  takes  most  of  the  interest  out  of 
what  would  be  otherwise  all  engrossing ;  and  when  one  is 
in  search  of  rest  and  recuperation  there  is  nothing  worse 
than  sight-seeing.  So  now  I  do  not  care  about  Vesuvius, 
do  not  regret  not  having  been  to  its  summit ;  and  sometimes 
I  think  I  would  not  have  endured  the  fatigue  of  the  jour- 
ney, which  Drs.  Barr  and  Stewart  have  made,  for  a  great 


262  LIFE   AND    LETTERS   OF 

.sum.  It  is,  especially,  mental  fotigue  which  I  have  in 
mind.  One  gets  weary  of  dghU  and  looks  at  and  tries  to 
fasten  them  in  memory,  not  because  it  is  pleasant  or  enjoy- 
able at  the  time,  but  only  to  think  about  them  and  tell 
one's  friends  afterwai-ds.  And  that  soon  becomes  very 
Aveary  work.  « 

AVe  had  arrived  in  Naples  Thursday  morning.     I  staid 
quietly  upstairs  until  Saturday  morning,  when  I  felt  al- 
most like  myself,  and  thought  I  should  like  to  go  with  Mr. 
Gitfen  to  the  JNLuseum.     It  is  a  very  extensive  building, 
but  most  of  it  is  on  the  ground  floor,  and  we   could   see 
things  pretty  well  without  much  fatigue.     Lulu  and  Bruce 
ran    al)out   and    anuised   themselves,  while  we  looked,  at 
objects  of  interest.     I  had  supposed  that  no  nuiseum  would 
be  very  interesting  after  seeing  that  of  London,  but  it  is  a 
mistake.     In  Naples  there  are  rooms  and  rooms,  the  walls 
of  which  are  entirely  covered  with  paintings  and  frescoes 
from  Pom})eii.     They  are  well  preserved  and  show  that  art 
was  quite  well  understood  in  those  old  da^'S.     There  are 
also  very  fine  mosaics  from  the  same  place.     One  is  on  a 
raised  .space  in  the  center   of  a   large   hall,  and    is   sur- 
rounded by  an  inm  railing.     It  is  oval,  about  18  feet  long 
by  perhaps  12  feet  in  width,  and  is  a  very  fine  picture  of  the 
battle  of  Issus.     Alexander,  on  horseback,  is  one  of  the 
prominent  figures.     The  bits  of  stone,  of  which  the  picture 
is  formed,  are  almost  as  large  as  the  point  of  my  little  fin- 
ger, but  it  is  wonderful  how  ])right  and  clear  the  picture 
is.     In  the  rooms  lined  with   these  scenes  from  Pompeii 
there  were  many  artists  at  work,  making  showy  cojiies  of 
gods  and  goddesses,  of  cupids  and  their  victims,  but  espe- 
cially of  handsome  women,  who  Avere  nearly  all  dressed  in 
pink  or  sea-green.     One  of  them  begged  us  to  buy  some 
of  his  copies.     We  were  amazed  that   he  only  asked    2 
francs  for  them,  and  yet  many  of  them  were  very  pretty. 


MRS.    MARY   GALLOWAY    GIFFEN.  268 

In  another  room  we  saw  the  clay  copy  of  a  beautiful  statue, 
the  first  time  I  had  ever  seen  clay  modelings.     There  were 
many  long  galleries  of  bust  and  full  sized  statues,  not  only 
of  gods  and  goddesses,  but  of  almost  all  the  great  Roman 
and  Grecian  heroes  and  heroines.    There  are  all  the  Ciesars, 
I  think,  and  some  of  their  wives,  the  mother  of  Nero,  the 
Ptolemies,  Homer,  Dante,  Representatives    of  the  Nile  ; 
while  there  are /o((t  Apollos,  and  perhaps  half  a  room  full 
of  life-sized,  standing  Venuses.     But  there  was  only  one 
Apollo  and  one  Venus  which  pleased   me.     This  Apollo 
was  of  immense  size,  in  sitting  posture,  lyre  in  hand.    The 
head  was   grandly  crowned  Avith    laurel,  all   in  beautiful 
Avhite  marble,  as  also  the  hands  and  feet,  while  the  grace- 
ful robe  was  of  fine  red  porphyry.     The  effect  of  the  two 
colors  was  very  striking.     The  Venuses  are  merely  hand- 
some women,  or  intended  to  be  such,  but  to  me,  some  of 
them  had  real  simpering  countenances,  while  others  had 
wicked-looking  mouths.    Yet  all  of  them  were  done  by  great 
Greek  and  Roman  sculptors.     Beside  the  galleries  of  Mar- 
lile   figures   there   are   perhaps  half  a   dozen   filled   with 
bronzes.     One  of  these  is  a  magnificent  figure  of  Nero  on 
horseback,  found  in   the  forum  of  Pompeii,  from  whence 
also  were  brought  a  great  many  others  of  the  finest  pieces 
in  the  Museum.     There  is  an  immense  statue  of  Hercules 
by  Glycon  of  Athens,  found  in  the  baths  of  Caracalla  at 
Rome.     The  sinews  are  wonderful,  and  the  appearance  of 
sirengfh  so  striking  that  one  did  not  need  to  be  told  for 
what  it  was  intended.     In  the  same  Hall  is  a  group  called 
"  The  Farnese  Bull."     It  is  cut  from  one  piece  of  marble, 
and  represents  a  beautiful  woman  bound  to  the  horns  of  a 
Avild  bull  by  two  men,  but  I  think  there  are  five  full-sized 
persons  in  the  group,  beside  the  magnificent  animal  in  the 
center. 

J 


264  LIFE   AND    LETTERS   OF 

The  second  story  is  devoted  to  paiutiiig  priiieipally,  at 
least  on  one  wing.  Tliere  are  separate  halls  for  all  different 
schools,  and  every  hall  was  filled  from  floor  to  lofty  ceiling 
with  magnificent  pictures.  Here,  as  down  stairs,  there 
were  many  artists  copying,  but  these  were  grand  pictures, 
and  one  could  not  buy  them  for  two  francs.  One  Hall  is 
called  the  Hall  of  the  Venuses,  and  was  far  more  revolt- 
ing than  the  same  ideal  in  marble.  Art  in  Europe,  holds 
nothing  sacred,  and  one  has  to  become  accustomed  to  what 
people  do  not  look  at  in  America.  This  feeling  of  "  get- 
ting used  to  it"  is  the  only  way  in  which  one  can  excuse 
European  taste ;  but  I  hope  it  will  require  a  long  time  for 
Americans  to  get  so  "  used  to  it,"  as  to  tolerate  nude  art  to 
the  extent  that  one  sees  everywhere  here. 

By  far  the  most  interesting  apartment  in  the  Museum 
was  the  one  which  contained  "  Comestibili "  (Provisions) 
from  Pompeii.  These  were  in  glass  cases  running  round 
the  room.  There  was  first  a  row  of  about  a  dozen  perfect 
loaves  of  bread,  all  carbonized,  found  in  the  houses  and 
bakeries  of  Pompeii.  They  are  in  the  form  of  an  ordi- 
nary loaf  cake,  and  have  indentations  on  the  top,  made 
with  a  knife  before  baking,  as  one  cuts  a  pie.  Then  there 
Avere  dishes  of  dates,  figs,  cherries,  coffee,  rice,  &c.,  all  of 
perfect  form.  In  a  case  by  itself  were  glass  tubes  contain- 
ing olives  and  the  oil  ivhich  had  been  pressed  from  the  fruit 
since  found.  It  was  clear  and  of  a  natural  color,  but  the 
olives  were  a  little  dark.  On  the  other  side  were  cases 
containing  charred  cloths,  silk  and  thread,  lamp  wicks, 
corks,  sponges,  needles,  bones,  eggs,  of  natural  color,  only 
a  little  yellow,  almonds,  grapes,  nuts,  wheat,  &e.  The 
texture  of  the  cloth  was  perfect,  and  the  large  skeins  of 
thread  unbroken.  There  was  also  a  sauce  pan  containing 
meat  and  a  purse  containing  three  coins  of  the  time  of 


MRS.    MARY    GALLOWAY    GIFFEN.  265 

Vespasian.  In  a  hall  on  the  other  wing  were  cases  of  the 
jewels  found  at  Pompeii  and  Herculaneuni.  There  are 
handsome  rings,  bracelets,  and  earrings,  and  some  immense 
gold  chains,  not  very  unlike  the  present  fashion  of  articles, 
the  endless  ones  I  mean.  Among  these  jewels  are  the 
chain  and  bracelets  found  on  *'  Julia,"  Diomed's  daughter. 
It  made  one  feel  very  sad  to  look  over  these  things,  these 
witnesses  if  I  may  so  speak,  of  that  great  catastrophe,  and 
when  I  had  seen  these  I  did  not  care  to  see  other  things, 
though  there  Avere  many  other  halls  besides  the  great  li- 
brary. As  we  came  out,  however,  we  stopped  and  looked 
a  second  time  at  quite  a  number  of  beautiful  mai'ble  col- 
umns of  many  different  coloi's  from  the  buried  cities.  Some 
of  them  were  ten  or  twelve  feet  high,  and  of  the  finest 
polish.  We  both  came  away  far  from  satisfied,  feeling 
that  we  would  like  to  come  another  day  and  just  go  over 
what  we  had  already  seen,  which  was  a  different  feeling 
from  anything  we  have  experienced  before  or  since. 

Early  Monday  morning  we  took  the  cars  for  Pompeii. 
It  is  an  hour's  ride  from  Naples.  As  we  came  in  sight  of 
the  Station  of  Pompeii,  the  first  thing  which  met  my  eyes 
was  "  Hotel  de  Diomede."  It  gave  me  a  strange  sensation — 
a  feeling  that  it  ivas  a/most  sacrilegious.  From  the  Station 
you  walk  through  a  cultivated  field  which  is  quite  low  and 
level,  up  the  hotel  and  offices  which  is  situated  on  the  foot 
of  the  hill  of  Pompeii.  Tickets  of  admission  cost  2  francs 
each,  but  this  includes  a  guide.  These  guides  are  in  uni- 
form, and  ours  at  least  was  a  very  civil  sort  of  a  fellow, 
never  once  hinting  at  buksheesh.  He  spoke  English,  very 
brokenly  however,  and  from  the  manner  in  which  he  pro- 
nounced or  rather  mispronounced  his  h's  I  decided  that 
like  the  Belgian  attachee  at  Washington,  who  did  not  like 
to  talk  English  with  Americans,  he  must  have  learned  his 


266  LIFE   AKD   LETTERS   OP 

English  in  London.     It  was  always  halters  for  altars,  and 
or^es  for  horses. 

Passing  up  the  hill  about  100  yards,  we  came  first  to  a 
great  strong  gate  or  street  door,  and  entered  an  arched 
covered  way,  paved  with  very  heavy,  rough  stones,  which 
conducts  to  the  level  of  the  city.     This  gate  is  called  the 
"Sea  Gate,"  and  I  suppose  from  the  strong  manner  in 
which  the  covered  way  and  the  gate  are  made  that  the  sea 
may  once  have  come  up  near  to  this  entrance,  though  now 
it  is  at  some  distance.     From  this   street  we  entered  the 
Museum,  which  consists  of  a  long  hall.     In  the  center  in 
glass  cases  were  the  petrified  bodies  of  six  persons,  just  as 
they  were  found.     Three  are  men,  one  a  single  woman,  and 
one   case   contains  what   is   supposed  to  be   mother   and 
daughter,  the  latter  apparently  a  child  of  10  or  12  years. 
►Some  of  them  had  apparently  died  in  great  agony.      One 
is  lying  on  the  face  with  the  arm  under  the  forehead.  One 
man  had  a  belt  of  money,  or  at  least  what  appears  to  be 
such  a  belt,  around  the  waist,  and  one  woman  would  soon 
have  been  a   mother.     Besides   these  skeletons,  or  forms 
rather,  there  is  that  of  a  dog,  which  had   died  in  a  half 
sitting  posture,  and  in  the   utmost   agony.     Its  writhings 
are  as  plain  as   if  you  had  witnessed  the  death.     These 
were  sad  sights.     They  made  you  realize  the  feelings  and 
enter  into  the  sufferings  of  those  who  were  overwhelmed 
in  the  great  eruption  as  nothing  else  could.     You  felt  you 
were  in  the  presence  of  the  dead,  in  the  presence  of  those 
on  whom  God  had  laid  his  hand   in   a  terrible  way.     Be- 
side these  bodies  there  were  specimens  of  all  the  articles 
we  had  seen  in  the  Museum  of  Naples,  except  the  jewels 
and  the  olive  oil. 

Passing  up  the  remainder  of  the  street  we  soon  found 
ourselves  in  the  still  vacant  city.    Oh,  it  is  a  strange  experi- 


MRS.    MARY   GALLOWAY   GIFFEN.  267 

enee !  All  tlie  houses  are  there,  and  most  of  them  have 
the  uumber  and  name  of  the  owner  marked  upon  them. 
They  are  all  one  story,  and  that  not  very  high,  except  one, 
which  seemed  to  have  been  built  with  some  limited  ideas 
of  two  stories.  Those  of  the  rich  are  much  on  the  style  of 
Egyptian  houses.  There  is  first  a  general  entrance  then  a 
court  for  the  men,  and  behind  that  a  larger  court  for  the 
women,  in  the  center  of  which  was  a  fountain,  with  often 
Ijeautiful  marble  steps  over  which  the  water  fell  to  form  a 
little  cascade.  Beside  one  of  these  fountains  was  the  faucet 
for  turning  on  and  shutting  off,  and  it  looked  just  as  if  one 
might  use  it  still.  Some  of  the  fountains  had  a  kind  of  cano])y 
over  them  with  a  back  piece  very  handsomely  designed  in 
mosaics,  and  in  the  recess  formed  thus,  in  some  houses, 
were  fine  pieces  of  statuary.  Around  these  courts  were 
the  dining  and  sleeping  rooms.  One  could  easily  imagine 
what  a  nice,  cool  place  one  of  these  large  courts  must  have 
been,  and  after  seeing  Egyptian  women,  it  did  not  stretch 
imagination  much  to  infer  that  plenty  of  gossijJ  and  side 
talk  had  echoed  round  these  walls.  Many  other  things 
reminded  us  of  Egypt.  The  water  jars,  kitchens,  wine 
shops,  oil  stands,  mills  and  bakeries,  which  were  some- 
times found  in  the  same  house,  and  also  the  public 
bath.  In  the  latter  was  an  artist  sketching.  Many  of  the 
streets  were  marked  at  the  head  with  various  devices  to 
show  the  craft  or  calling.  There  were  streets  of  wine  shops 
only,  of  oil  shops,  of  masons,  carpenters,  &c.  In  one  of 
the  back  streets,  the  guide  called  it,  as  we  thought,  "  the 
street  of  the  brothers,"  and  before  we  knew  had  unlocked 
a  door  to  a  room,  the  walls  of  which  were  covered  with 
bright,  well  executed  pictures  of  the  most  obsce)ie  character. 
In  an  instant  we  knew  he  had  said  brothels  instead  of 
brothers.     And  he  said  a  vast  quantity  of  such  ijaiutingjj 


268  IJFE   AND    LETTERS   OF 

and  other  objects  foiuid  in  this  street  were  kept  in  a  iiall 
in  the  Museum  at  Naples,  and  never  opened  to  women  and 
children — a  statement  corroborated  by  the  guide  books. 

In  Diomed's  house  we  were  shown  the  spot  where  the 
skeleton  was  found  wearing  bracelets  marked  "  Julia  "  and 
ahvays  spoken  of  as  Diomed's  daughter.  The  guide  said 
there  were  seoetiti/  skeletons  found  in  that  house,  but  after- 
wards I  wondered  if  he  really  intended  to  say  seventy,  as 
I  have  always  understood  that  there  were  comparatively 
few  persons  Avho  did  not  escape.  Just  now  I  have  looked 
up  the  matter  in  a  guide  book,  and  the  number  is  given 
"  as  seventeen  women  mid  children  furnished  with  provision, 
but  who  are  supposed  to  have  been  suffocated  by  the  tor- 
rents of  ashes  and  water  which  rushed  in  after  the  erup- 
tion." Diomed  himself,  as  was  supposed,  held  a  key  in 
his  hand,  and  near  him  was  a  slave  bearing  money  and 
other  valuables.  I  sat  doim  and  reded  awhile  in  Sallud's 
ho^ise.  It  is  considered  one  of  the  finest.  In  it,  as  in 
many  others,  the  mosaics  of  the  floors  are  covered  with 
earth  to  prevent  the  rains  from  destroying  or  injuring 
them,  as  the  wooden  roofs  of  the  houses  were  almost  all  de- 
stroyed early  in  the  eruption,  or  else  fell  in  with  the  weight 
of  ashes,  lava  and  pumice  stones.  The  house  of  Sallust  opens 
into  three  streets.  In  the  court  of  the  men  are  some  fine 
frescoes  covered  over  to  protect  them,  and  which  are  still 
very  bright  and  distinct. 

One  is  Acteon  watching  Diana  in  her  bath,  and  on  the 
other  wall  is  Phryxuson,  the  ram,  and  Helle,  in  the  water, 
Europa  and  the  Bull,  followed  by  cupid,  &c. 

There  are  many  temples,  among  them  that  of  Venus, 
Mercury,  Jupiter,  Augustus,  or  that  of  Vesta,  the  Temple 
of  Fortune,  &c.  The  most  interesting  to  me  was  that  of 
Isis.     We  saw  the  grand  altar  and  the  pit  into  which  the 


3IRS.    MARY    GALLOWAY    (ilFFEX.  269 

remains  of  the  sacrificei?  were  thrown,  and  also  a  small  cell 
Avith  an  underground  entrance  for  the  priest  who  stood  be- 
hind the  figure  of  Isis  and  delivered  her  oracles  i'oy  her, 
when  the  people  in(juired  of  her.     There  are  also  two  or 
three  theatres  and  an  amphitheatre  with  barracks  for  the 
(xladiators.     The  streets  are  generally  very  narrow,  many 
f)f  them  not  beine-  more  than  ten  feet.     Nearlv  all   had  a 
narrow  raised  ))ath  on   each   side,  while  the  chariot  way 
was  paved  with  rough  lava  stones,  into  which  the  traces  of 
the  wheels  were  sometimes  pretty  deeply  cut,  while  at  little 
distances  there   were  step})ing  stones,  generally  three,  for 
crossing  in  rainy  weather.     These  were  often  a  foot  high, 
and  would  just  admit  of  a  horse  passing  between  them. 
After  Ave  had  seen    most  of  the  city,  which   is  not  large, 
there  having  been  about  12,000  inhabitants  only,  and  tlic 
great  majority  of  the  houses  being  small  and  near  together, 
we  went  up  upon  unexcavated  ground  and  looked  over  the 
whole,  as  well  as  at  the  grand  ami)hitheatre,  in  the  centre  of 
which  Pompeii  seemed  to  lie.     It  is  hard  to  realize  that 
lazy  looking,  idly  smoking  Vesuvius  could  do  so  much  dam- 
age.    The  unexcavated  parts  of  the  city  are  not  very  ex- 
tensive, but  where  we  went  uj)  on  the  bank  there  was  quite 
a  field  of  corn  and  beans  growing  greenly  over  what  the 
guide   said   was   unexcavated   ground,  being,    I    suppose, 
within  the  walls. 

The  eruption  took  phice  in  August,  A.  D.  7!J,  and  lasted 
three  days,  Vesuvius  pouring  out  torrents  of  boiling  water, 
mixed  with  ashes,  as  well  as  gi'eat  masses  of  inflammable 
matter  and  pumice  stones.  Much  glass  was  melted,  though 
a  vast  (piantity  of  rain  is  known  to  have  fallen,  perhaps, 
during  the  three  days.  The  stratum  of  earth,  pumice 
stone  and  ashes  is  about  four  metres  deep.  At  the  place 
where  we  went  uj)  on  the  top,  we  seemed  to  climb  up  a  bed 
of  ashes  onlv. 


270  LIFE    AND    LETTERS   OF 

Excavatiug  was  not  begun  until  17-48,  when  some  valua- 
ble objects  were  discovered  by  accident,  but  it  is  only  since 
1863  that  the  work  has  gone  on  regularly.  Skeletons 
have  been  found  crushed  in  the  houses,  others  buried  un- 
der the  stones  and  ashes,  and  others  apparently  sleeping  in 
the  streets,  it  is  supposed,  from  inhaling  the  peculiar  gases. 
In  a  locked  room,  with  a  slatted  door,  Ave  saw  a  skeleton 
embedded  in  the  ashes,  though  enough  had  been  removed 
to  give  you  a  good  idea  of  the  manner  in  which  the  per- 
son had  been  covered  up.  After  we  left  this  house,  I  sat 
down  in  the  street  with  the  children  and  I'estecl,  while  Mr. 
Giffen  and  the  guide  went  farther  on.  There  were  pretty 
little  blue  and  pink  flowers  growing  along  the  side  walks, 
and  r  sat  and  indulged  myself  in  a  good  many  reflections, 
while  Bruce  and  Lulu's  little  fingers  made  sad  havoc  of 
the  flowers.  What  would  I  not  have  given  once  for  the 
assurance  that  one  daiy  I  would  see  Pompeii !  And  now 
without  such  thought  or  design,  in  leaving  home,  there  I 
was  with  my  two  little  ones  beside  me! 

When  we  were  satisfied  with  looking  at  streets  and  houses 
we  went  back  to  the  offices,  and  into  a  large  room  filled 
with  pictures,  photographs  and  albums. 

There  were  many  tempting  things,  but  we  only  bought 
four  photographs,  and  then  went  down  to  the  Station,  sat 
in  the  shade  and  waited  for  the  train.  Only  think  of  the 
railroad  running  along  beside  Pompeii !  What  a  change 
from  the  time  when  its  poor  frightened  citizens  went  flying 
along  over  the  same  ground !  We  had  an  hour  to  wait. 
So  we  sat  on  the  stones  in  the  yard,  and  listened  to  the 
wind  making  ^Eolian  harps  of  the  telegraph  wires,  until 
the  train  came  along  and  took  us  back  to  Naples." 

In  a  few  days  they  reached  their  destination  in  the  Wal  • 
densian  valleys.     Here  they  remained  nearly  two  months, 


MRS.    MARY    GALLOWAY    GIFFEX.  271 

in  sight  of  the  mountain  snows  ;  and  with  the  comparative 
freedom  from  care  and  hibor  which  they  felt,  the  h)ng 
rambles  among  the  hills  and  the  pure  cold  springs  on  the 
mountain  sides,  Mrs.  Gitteu  and  the  children  soon  seemed 
to  have  recovered  their  full  health  and  strength  ;  but  INIr. 
Giifen  was  soon  prostrated  with  ague  and  rheumatism,  and 
so  continued  much  of  the  time  during  their  stay,  and  here, 
doubtless,  were  soon  the  seeds  of  the  disease — acute  rheu- 
matism—  which,  in  a  few  months  aftei-,  terminated  Mrs. 
Giffen's  life. 

But  the  harvest  was  so  great  and  the  labors  in  their 
mission  field  so  few,  that  we  soon  find  them  on  their  re- 
turn voyage  to  Alexandria.  The  events  of  the  journey  are 
given  by  Mi's.  Giffen. 

"As  you  see  we  are  back  in  our  old  place  again.  I  had 
hoped  to  write  regularly  after  I  got  started  again  in  Italy, 
but  I  could  not.  We  received  letters  one  morning  in  La 
Tour  that  there  would  be  a  meeting  of  the  Association  on 
the  2r)th  of  July.  We  had  walked  doAvn  to  the  Post  to- 
gether, so  we  sat  down  at  a  restaurant,  made  the  calcula- 
tion and  luond  that  we  could  reach  Egypt  in  time  for  the 
meeting,  if  we  were  in  Turin  next  morning  at  9  o'clock. 
So  we  went  home,  got  dinner,  saw  a  young  gentleman 
whom  Mr.  Giffen  wished  to  engage  as  French  teacher  for 
the  college,  explained  everything  to  him,  and  packed  up 
our  valises.  We  intended  to  go  Pignerol,  the  railway  sta- 
tion, that  night,  but  when  we  paid  our  boarding,  we  were 
charged  with  the  nights  lodging  and  breakfast,  whether 
we  staid  or  went,  and  as  it  is  not  pleasant  to  move  about  so 
much  with  two  children,  we  decided  to  stay  in  La  Tour  for 
the  night,  and  leave  at  daylight  next  morning.  Two 
members  of  the  family  had  done  this  during  our  stay,  and 
we  heard  the  lady  say  she  had  ordered  coffee  for  us.     But 


272  yJFE   AND    LETTERS   OF 

she  Avas  not  iu  good  health,  and  her  husband  was  away. 
It  was  a  very  warm  close  night,  and  when  we  took  Bruce 
and  Lulu  up  at  o  o'clock  both  liegan  begging  for  water- 
There  was  none  in  the  room,  and  the  little  fountain  from 
which  we  had  been  drinking  had  dried  up  only  two  days 
before.  Neither  of  us  knew  where  the  other  one  was,  and 
we  thought  we  could  get  it  at  breakfast,  but  when  it  was 
time  to  leave  the  house  no  one  had  stirred.  The  omni- 
bus was  down  iu  the  town,  and  when  we  got  in,  we  asked  the 
attendant  for  water,  and  we  thought  it  was  coming  every 
moment,  but  the  onuiibus  drove  ofl'  Ix^fore  it  came.  O 
well,  we  thought,  we  can  get  the  best  of  water  in  Pignerol, 
but  the  driver  stopped  at  grog  shops  so  often  that  when  we 
got  out  of  the  omnibus  the  manager  ui-ged  us  oft',  saying 
we  would  be  late  for  the  train.  There  was  just  time  to 
get  tickets  and  get  in  the  cars,  and  then  the  guard  locked 
the  do(n-.  We  went  third  class,  and  the  car  was  terribly 
crowded,  and  the  heat  very  great.  Lulu  crying  most  of  the 
way  for  water.  We  had  but  little  time  in  Turin,  and  as 
the  ticket  offices  are  only  open  a  few  minutes,  jNIr.  (lifl'en 
was  oblio;ed  to  attend  to  that  iirst.  ^[eantime  Lulu  had 
seen  a  man  go  along  with  a  l)ucket  of  <lirty  water,  and 
she  was  nearly  frantic.  I  knew  where  there  was  a  restaur- 
ant, but  I  could  not  leave  the  baggage,  and  thought  there 
would  certainly  be  time  for  ]\Ir.  Giften  to  get  the  water  af- 
ter he  would  put  us  in  the  car ;  but  when  he  jumped  out 
with  the  bottle,  the  guard  })eremptorily  ordered  him  back, 
and  we  were  obliged  to  submit.  The  heat  Avas  fearful,  and 
the  dust  as  bad  as  in  Egypt.  None  of  us  had  anything  to 
eat,  and  Lulu  seemed  wild  with  thirst.  We  were  on  the 
Express,  and  we  flew  past  station  after  station  without 
stopping  until  nearly  noon.  At  last  the  door  w'as  opened, 
and  Mr.  Giften  came  back  with  a  bottle  of  about  as  bad 


MRP.    MARY    GALLOWAY    GIFFEK.  273 

Avater  as  I  ever  tried  to  drink  ;  but  it  had  been  iced  slightly, 
and  the  poor  little  thing  seized  the  cup  as  if  she  would 
like  to  swallow  it  whole,  and  would  not  let  it  go  even 
when  she  could  drink  no  niorc.  In  southern  Italy  the 
water  is  almost  universally  bad,  so  much  so  that  it  is  not 
safe  to  drink  much  of  it.  It  must  always  be  iced,  and 
they  generally  add  to  it  a  syrup  of  anise  seed — on  hy- 
gienic principles,  I  suppose,  but  to  me  it  is  very  disagreea- 
ble. It  is  never  brought  to  the  car  windows  as  here,  and 
as  all  the  buffets  or  restaurants  are  at  the  back  of  the  rail- 
way stations,  one  can  only  get  Avater  when  the  guard 
chooses  to  open  the  car  door.  Indeed  there  is  little  com- 
fort in  railway  travel  in  Europe  without  you  can  take 
everything  you  may  wish  with  you,  and  happen  to  get  a 
compartment  to  yourselves,  which,  of  course,  can  be  but  a 
rare  occurrence.  We  found  that  we  could  overtake  the 
Italian  boat  at  Naples  by  leaving  the  next  night  at  mid- 
night. 

After  supper  jMr.  G.  told  me  to  take  the  children  and 
go  to  sleep,  and  he  would  wake  us  in  time  to  get  off.  But 
Bruce  had  got  so  nervous  over  our  oft-repeated  going  and 
stopping  without  ever  getting  back  home,  that  he  had  be- 
come fully  persuaded  that  sometime  we  would  go  off  and 
leave  him  asleep,  and  he  therefore  decided  that  he  would 
watch  f(jr  himself  But  at  last  his  determination  failed 
him,  and  we  all  slept. 

We  left  Genoa  at  11  o'clock  at  night  the  19th.  There, 
as  everywhere  else  in  Europe,  you  must  wait  in  the  station 
until  the  porter  unlocks  the  door,  before  you  can  pass  to 
the  train.  Then,  of  course,  there  is  a  great  rush  for  seats, 
though  ordinarily  the  compartments  are  not  overcrowded. 
But  this  time  there  were  a  great  many  second-class  passen- 
gers, and  very  few  second-class  compartments.     Some  of 


274  LIFE   AND    LETTERS   OF 

them  Avere  filled  with  soldiers,  -who  would  smoke  and  drink 
wine  the  rest  of  the  night ;  but  after  going  the  length  of 
the  train,  we  found  we    could  do  no  better  than  just   to 
pack  in  as  others  were  doing.     Most  people  carry  so  nuich 
baggage  in  Europe  that  it  becomes  a  question  how  to  dis- 
j)Ose  of  it   when  there  are   many  passengers.     While  we 
were  putting  ours  in  order,  we  sat  the  children   down  in 
our   places.     Instantly  a   man   next   me  began  to  growl 
about  babies  taking  up  grown  people's  places.     I  did  not 
answer ;  but  in  a  few  minutes  a  young  man  on  the  other 
side  took  up  his  own  things  and   helped  Mr.  GifFen  to  a 
seat,  where  he  could  hold  Bruce  in  more  comfort.      It  was 
refreshing  to  find  a  man  who  remembered  that  little  peo- 
ple have  some  rights  as  well  as  grown  men  and  women. 
The  dust  and  heat  were  very  great,  and  the  passengers  next 
the  window  resolutely  kept  them  closed.     Then  one  or  two 
began  to  smoke  and  I  wondered  hoAv  we  would  get  through 
the  night.     But  to  our  great  joy  two  passengers  got  out  in 
an  hour  or  two  and  a  little  further  on  we  got  rid  of  the 
wretched  grumbler  who  sat  by  me  and  kept  pushing  Lulu's 
feet  off"  his  pants  whenever  her  slippers  touched  him.      To- 
Avards  day  there  remained  but  one  passenger  beside  our- 
selves, and  we  got  one  nice  little  sleep.     But  as  the  morn- 
ing advanced  a  little,  Mr.  Giften  grew  very  ill  and  suffered 
extremely.     Had  we  not  had  medicine  with  us  I  do  not 
knoAv  what  Ave  should  have  done.     His  face  had  such  a 
queer  look  and  he  Avas  so  flushed  and  hot  that  I  felt  greatly 
alarmed,  especially  Avhen  we  found  that  Ave  had  been  mis- 
informed about  the  time  of  reaching  Naples.     We  saAV  Ave 
Avould  miss  the  Italian  steamer  by  a  couple  of  hours  and 
Avould  have  to  Avait  two  days  for  the  French.     We  sup- 
posed it  Avould  be  hot,  and   not  very  safe  to  remain  in 
Naples  tAvo  days  at  that  season.     But  there  was  no  help 


MRS.    MARY    GALLOWAY   GIFFEN.  275 

for  it.  We  reached  Rome  at  noon.  There  we  had  to  wait 
three  hours.  The  station  hall  is  very  large  and  tolerably 
cool.  As  soon  as  I  could  I  got  out  our  spirit  lamp  and 
made  Mr.  G.  some  strong  tea.  He  was  very  nervous  and 
could  not  sit  still  a  minute,  but  the  tea  relieved  him  appar- 
ently, and  when  we  left  we  got  a  half  compartment  at  the 
end  of  the  car  to  ourselves.  You  don't  know  how  thank- 
ful we  felt  for  it.  Mr.  G.  continued  to  feel  better  and  the 
air  grew  cooler  and  fresher.  By  nine  o'clock  we  were  in 
sight  of  the  light  of  Vesuvius,  and  once  I  saw  a  very 
brilliant  explosion,  just  as  the  volcano  is  represented  in 
some  of  the  night  views  of  Naples  and  Vesuvius,  except 
that  the  lava  streams  had  then  ceased  to  flow.  By  mid- 
night we  had  reached  our  hotel,  and  there  we  spent  two 
very  pleasant  days.  Naples  was  just  full  of  fruit  and  it 
was  all  so  good  and  cheap.  O  how  we  enjoyed  the  peaches  ! 
They  were  so  much  more  like  home  fruit  than  anything 
we  get  here. 

AVhen  Mr.  G.  took  our  tickets  they  told  him  at  the 
agency  to  be  on  board  of  steamer  by  eight  o'clock  Satur- 
day morning.  So  we  hurried  as  much  as  we  could,  but 
when  we  reached  the  harbor  and  had  got  into  the  little 
boat  which  was  to  take  us  out  to  the  steamer  the  boatman 
said  the  latter  was  not  in,  but  to  sit  down,  and  it  soon 
would  be,  as  the  French  boats  were  not  often  late.  Oui- 
baggage  was  in  and  the  carriage  dismissed  before  we  knew 
the  state  of  affairs,  and  any  way  we  supposed  it  was  a  mat- 
ter of  no  moment.  But  the  minutes  went  round  and  the 
sun  grew  hot  and  we  still  had  to  sit  there  on  the  water  and 
wait.  After  a  time  I  took  the  children  and  walked  up  the 
street  where  we  could  at  least  walk  in  the  shade  and  get 
some  air,  but  I  was  afraid  to  stay  long,  lest  the  boatman 
might  go  off  with  Mr.  G.  and  the  baggage  and  leave  us 


276  LIFE   AND    LETTERS   OF 

behind.  Fortunately  we  got  some  water  and  fruit,  and  the 
cliildren  were  just  as  good  as  they  could  be.  But  there 
we  had  to  sit  until  noon.  At  last  the  flag  was  run  up  from 
the  agency  and  we  started.  "When  we  Avere  quite  out  of 
reach  of  all  other  other  boats  the  owner  of  the  one  we 
were  in  and  which  we  had  taken  for  three,  franco,  turned 
around  to  Mr.  G.  and  said  in  bad  English,  "  This  boat  has 
to  have  twenty  francs  to  take  you  out  to  the  steamer." 
And  Avhen  Mr.  G.  would  not  agree  to  it  he  stepped  the 
rowers  and  let  us  sit  there.  It  was  so  provoking,  but  by 
dint  of  a  good  deal  of  talk  and  keeping  quite  cool  and 
quiet,  Mr.  G.  got  him  to  go-on  for  ten  francs — $2.00.  From 
all  we  have  learned  I  guess  there  are  no  meaner  boatmen 
in  the  world  than  Neapolitans,  and  yet  after  all  perhaps 
they  are  no  more  than  Pyramid  Arabs.  Still  I  think  the 
Neapolitans  would  have  to  work  hard  to  catcli  us  in  the 
same  trap  again.  It  was  one  o'clock  before  we  were  on 
board,  and  you  may  guess  how  tired  and  sunbui-nt  we  were. 
Bruce  was  wearing  a  Scotch  cap  only,  and  the  little  fellow 
was  almost  in  a  blister,  but  neither  he  nor  Lulu  cried 
once  the  whole  morning. 

Having  at  last  succeeded  in  reaching  the  steamer,  we 
were  soon  comfortably  arranged  in  a  very  nice  state-room. 
The  day  was  fine  and  all  the  accommodations  much  nicer 
than  by  the  Italian  line ;  so  we  promised  ourselves  a 
pleasant  trip.  But  we  were  not  an  hour  out  of  port  when 
Bruce,  Lulu  and  I  were  all  on  our  backs  in  a  row.  There 
were  an  unusual  number  of  lounging  places  on  the  upper 
deck,  and  ]Mr.  Giffen  brought  up  our  rugs  and  blankets 
and  kept  us  up  there  all  the  time  in  daylight.  Lulu  got 
up  before  night  the  first  day  and  had  a  great  romp  over 
the  deck,  but  Bruce  kept  to  his  back  most  of  two  or  three 
days.     He  seemed  to  think  things  were  not  equally  dis- 


MRS.    MARY   GAIJ.OWAY   GIFFEN.  277 

tributed,  frequently  remarking,  "  Poor  mamma,  and  Bruce 
have  cough  very  much  ;  papa  and  IaiIu  not."  And  yet 
there  was  very  little  rough  weather.  Most  of  the  sea  was 
as  calm  as  a  river,  but  the  stean)er  was  an  unusually  long, 
narrow  boat,  and  it  rocked  unmercifully  when  there  seemed 
to  be  neither  swell  nor  waves.  I  remember  that  I  still 
felt  sick  when  the  pilot  came  on  board  in  Alexandria 
harbor." 

Here  the  record  ends — the  pen  hiid  down  when  these 
sentences  were  finished  ^vas  never  again  to  be  taken  up. 
The  familiar  "  Letters  from  our  Missionary," — letters  which 
had  brought  instruction  and  rare  enjoyment  to  so  many 
thousands  of  readers  fur  half  a  score  of  years,  were  to  be 
seen  no  more.  The  oft-repeated  question,  "  Shall  we  see 
her  face  again  ?  "  was  answered — not  until  the  earth  gives 
up  its  dead  and  we  all  stand  liefore  the  judgment  seat. 


CHAPTER  XXVII. 

SICKNESS — DEATH BURIAL — SUMMARY   OF   MRS.   GIFFEN'g 

CHARACTER  AND   WORK. 

In  a  short  time  after  their  arrival  in  Alexandria,  they 
went  on  to  Asyoot  their  old  h(nne,  and  resumed  work  as 
usual.  In  a  few  weeks  they  moved  into  the  new  building, 
for  a  mission  family,  that  had  been  erected  on  the  lot 
containing  the  C^ollege  building  and  dormitories.  But 
meanwhile  they  were  forced  to  go  into  the  old,  tight,  hot, 
miserable  house  in  which  they  had  lived  for  years,  and 
in  which  they  had  suffered  so  much,  and  which  so  nearly 


278  LIFE    AND    LETTERS   OF 

proved  the  death  of  the  entire  family.  When  Mrs.  Gitfeii 
at  length  found  herself  in  a  new,  clean,  comfortable  house 
for  the  first  time,  her  contentment  and  happiness  seemed  to 
know  no  bounds.  Sh  e  felt  that  all  their  former  troubles 
and  sufterings  were  happily  ended  ;  that  she  was  now  fully 
equipped  for  effective  work  in  any  department  of  mission 
labor,  that  before  her  lay  a  future  bright  with  hope  and 
promise, — she  was  just  entering  u^ion  the  work  her  heart 
had  so  longed  for  all  her  life,  and  for  which  she  had  labored 
so  long  to  fit  herself.  But  alas  !  for  human  hopes  and  ex- 
l^ectations,  how  soon  they  are  blasted.  She  was  permitted 
to  live  in  this  pleasant  home  but  three  weeks,  and  when 
she  left  its  threshold,  it  was  to  enter  upon  the  last  journey 
ever  made  in  Egypt. 

Shortly  before  her  last  illness  she  went  to  Caii'o,  because 
there  were  none  but  native  physicians  in  Asyoot  who  were 
but  little  skilled  in  the  management  of  patients,  or  the  ex- 
pert use  of  medicine.  On  the  9th  of  October  Mrs.  Giffen 
gave  birth  to  a  son,  and  all  went  well  for  a  time,  but  on 
Tuesday,  the  third  day  she  complained  of  a  pain  in  her  left 
hand.  The  physicians  pronounced  it  rheumatism  caused 
by  cold.  But  the  pain  became  sorer,  and  by  next  day  had 
extended  to  the  other  hand  and  was  felt  in  the  side  and 
ankles,  and  soon  became  almost  unbearable.  That  night 
she  slept  some  from  an  injection  of  morphia,  and  for  the 
same  reason  was  easier  through  AVednesday  and  Thursday. 
Her  husband  and  friends  knew  little  of  the  uatui-e  of  acute 
rheumatism,  and  as  she  seemed  quiet  and  easy  were  not 
alarmed  as  to  her  condition.  Friday  she  had  little  fever, 
but  complained  through  the  day  of  oppression  and  slept  in 
a  fitful  way.  But  that  night  the  heart  action  became  very 
strong,  and  this  violence  continued  through  Saturday  and 
Sabbath  to  the  end.     At  daybreak  on  Saturday  her  mind 


MRS.    MARY   GALLOWAY   GIFFEX.  279 

became  coufused  and  so  paitly  remained.  ludeed  it  is 
aliiost  certain  that  she  wa.s  either  partially  unconscious 
during  most  of  her  illness,  or  was  not  aware  of  her  condi- 
tion, since  she  left  not  a  message,  even  for  her  mother,  and 
her'swas  not  a  nature  to  die  and  give  no  sign. 

Oil  Sal)bath  in  one  of  her  lucid  intervals  she  was  heard 
to  sa},  "O  dear  Saviour  come  to  my  help."  It  was  Coui- 
muniou  Sabbath,  and  she  had  asked  to  be  remembered  in 
the  services,  and  when  Dr.  Watson  came  iu  he  told  her 
that  he  had  reference  to  her  in  all  the  morning's  services  ; 
she  answered  that  it  was  well.  In  the  conversation  which 
followed  she  said,  "I  am  ready  and  willing  to  die,  but  Oh  ! 
it  will  be  so  hard  for  I\Ir.  Giffen  and  the  children."  That 
night  after  dark  vomiting  commenced,  and  immediately  a 
great  change  passed  over  her  face,  and  they  knew  that  the 
end  had  come.  Mr.  Giffen  was  in  an  adjoining  room  and 
was  called  :  He  quickly  came,  but  to  his  question  "  Do 
you  know  me?"  she  answered,  "no."  This  was  the  only 
reply  she  ever  made  to  any  of  his  questions.  The  physi- 
cian came  but  could  give  no  help. 

At  10:  20  o'clock  on  Sabbath  night,  the  IGth  of  October, 
1881,  her  spirit  passed  away,  and  was  conducted  by  minis- 
tering angels  to  that  mansion  prepared  in  the  Father's 
house. 

When  her  father  died  some  one  stood  over  his  body  and 
said,  "  the  battle  is  fought  and  the  victory  won,"  and  ^\  ho 
v»ill  deny  to  her,  though  she  fell  earlier  in  the  battle,  the 
same  pean  of  victory.  After  his  death  heaven  and  his 
spirit  always  seemed  so  near.  Who  shall  say  that  his  dear 
face  was  not  the  first  that  rose  upon  her  glorified  vision, 
when  she  entered  the  world  of  the  dead  ?  The  busy,  teem- 
ing brain  cold  and  frozen  by  the  touch  of  death,  the  active 
hands  folded  for  the  long,  long  rest,  "the  church's  brightest 


280  LIFE    AND    LETTERS   OF 

star,"  vanished,  from  earth  and  risen  evermore  in  the 
firmament  of  heaven.  But  she  had  gained  a  "  good  report," 
fell  at  her  post,  "died  upon  the  field  of  honor,"  and  vhen 
•'  her  spirit  passed  the  portals  of  light,  it  was  doubtless  met 
by  an  array  of  the  noble  army  of  martyrs  and  conf«ssors, 
that  would  do  honor  to  any  reception  in  the  univers." 

On  the  day  following,  the  interment  took  place  Her 
countenance  was  calm,  peaceful  and  sweet  like  one  who 
had  lain  down  to  pleasant  sleep.  At  3 :  30  o'clock  tte  body 
was  borne  to  the  church,  and  Dr.  Watson,  the  officiating 
minister  read  the  90th  Psalm  in  English.  The  46tlx  Psalm, 
1-4,  was  then  sung  to  a  very  plaintive  tune,  in  Arabic. 
The  reading  of  I.  Cor.  15th  chapter,  was  then  folloAved  by 
touchinu-  and  alFectino-  remarks.  The  little  band  of  Mis- 
sionaries  and  friends  wound  their  way  through  the  crooked 
streets  to  the  new  American  cemetery,  and  there  the  dust 
so  precious  was  laid  to  rest  until  the  time  when  "  the  voice 
of  the  Hon  of  Man"  shall  call  it  forth,  and  "fashion  in  like 
unto  his  own  glorious  body."  Hidden  always  from  our 
human  eyes — but  not  lost — only  gone  before.  She  will 
sleep  as  well  as  if  she  rested  beside  the  dust  of  her  father, 
under  the  sound  of  the  church  bell,  and  the  Master  will  be  as 
near  to  guard  her  lonely  grave  in  that  dark  land,  as  among  us. 

The  tablet  erected  in  her  memory  by  her  husband  bears 
the  following  inscription: 

In  Memory  of 

M  .\  K  Y  E .  (i  A  L L O  WAY, 

Wife  of  Rev.  .John  Giflen. 

Horn  in  NeM-berry  Coiuity,  Sonth  Carolina. 

The    First    Missionaiy   of   the   Associate   Reformed   Presbyterian 

C'hnrch  of  the  Sonth. 

She  Sailed  from  New  York,  Febrnary  10th,  1875. 

Died  lit  Cairo,  October  IGth,  1881. 


"Be  thon  faillifiil  nnto  death,  and  I  will  give  thee  a  Crown  of  Life." 


MR?;.    MARY    GALLOWAY   GIFFEN.  281 

Mrs.  Giffen  left  three  children: 

Biuce  Johnston  Giffen,  born   in   Ramie,  Egypt,  March 
oth,  1878. 

Lulu  (Margaret)  BpeerGiffeii,  boru  in  Cairo,  Egypt, Feb- 
ruary 24th,  1880. 

Marion  Galloway  Gitfeu,  boru  in  Cairo,  Egypt,  October 
9th,  1881. 

The  death  of  Mrs.  Gitlen  was  a  most  unexpected  shock. 
Only  a  few  days  before,  letters  received  from  her  husband 
contained  the  most  encouraging  reports,  so  that  her  friends 
perhaps  felt  ha])pier  and  better  satisfied  as  to  her  future, 
than  ever  before  in  her  mission  life.  Then  without  a  word 
of  warning  they  were  overwhelmed  by  the  terrible  blow. 
And  so  throughout  the  entire  church.  It  was  believed  by 
all  that  her  visit  to  Italy  had  fully  restored  her  health,  and 
that  she  was  never  better  prepared  for  effective  labor.  The 
fondest  hopes  of  the  church  were  centered  in  her  and  her 
work,  and  the  probability  of  her  untimely  death  was  n(jt 
even  regarded  as  among  the  possibilities.  The  surprise 
and  soiTOAV  of  the  church,  therefore,  was  profound  when  it 
was  known  that  ^[rs.  Giffen  had  passed  away.  There  was 
a  universal  desire  to  see  her  face,  and  take  her  by  the 
hand.  "  I  do  not  think  there  was  a  member  of  the  church 
so  universally  beloved,  or  one  in  whose  behalf  so  many 
prayers  ascended  to  the  Lord.  Hei-  correspondence  was 
the  first  thing  read,  by  old  and  young  here  in  these  mountain 
fastnesses.  In  her  the  church  has  lost  her  brightest  star." 
No  one  in  the  church  was  better  known,  and  in  none  was 
there  more  interest.  It  was  not  surprising,  therefore,  that 
her  death  was  the  occasion  of  a  spontaneous  outburst  of 
sorrow  and  sympathy,  through  the  entire  church,  and 
brought  letters  of  sympathy  and  condolence  to  her  sorrow- 
ing friends  from  every  part  of  our  common  country. 


282  LIFE    AND    LETTERS   OF 

The  day  after  tlie  tidings  of  her  death  reached  this 
country,  a  memorial  service  was  held  in  Due  West,  hei  old 
home.  "  The  bells  were  tolled  one  hour  before  the  exer- 
cises began.  On  entering  the  church  one  was  struck  with 
the  impressive  decorations  of  the  pulpit  and  the  walls  in 
the  rear.  There  was  a  floral  cross  and  crown  most  beauti- 
fully devised.  Beneath  this  there  was  a  large,  well  executed 
picture  of  the  deceased.  Underneath  this  again,  was  the 
word  in  illuminated  letters: 


FAREWELL. 


The  exercises  throughout  were  of  solemn  and  tender  in- 
terest. As  the  first  missionary  of  our  church,  Mrs.  Giffen, 
has  won  a  prominent  place  in  its  history,  and  her  name  and 
memory  Avill  ever  be  precious  to  those  who  appreciate  un- 
selfish devotion,  high  moral  heroism,  and  the  consecration 
of  eminent  gifts  to  the  cause  of  God." 

When  one  dies  in  the  Master's  service  in  a  good  old  age, 
and  is  gathered  home  as  a  shock  of  corn  in  his  season  fully 
ripe,  has  contended  in  the  battle  for  God  and  man,  until 
age  has  dimmed  his  sight  and  unstrung  his  sinews, — we 
feel  like  saying : — "  Servant  of  God  well  done,"  enter  the 
rest.  But  when  we  see  one  who  has  just  girded  on  the 
armor,  has  just  perfected  himself  in  the  use  of  "  the  sword 
of  the  spirit,"  and  whose  soul  and  body  are  both  aflame 
with  zeal  and  love,  and  has  just  stepped  to  the  front  a  rec- 
ognized leader  in  God's  host — when  we  see  such  a  one  fall 
in  the  very  beginning  of  a  struggle  where  their  help  seems 
to  be  so  much  needed,  our  human  hearts  are  rent  with  con- 
flicting emotions  and  questionings.  Why  this  strange 
providence  ?     Why  are  the  strong  and  valiant  taken,  and 


MRS.    MARY    GALLOWAY    GIFFEX.  28o 

the  Spent  and  useless  left?  To  the  human  eye  it  seemed 
that  a  wide  and  effectual  door  was  just  fully  opened,  and 
her  step  was  upon  the  threshold,  when  the  messenger  ar- 
rested her,  "  the  Master  hath  need  of  thee,"  and  bore  her 
away  to  the  portals  of  light.     But  the  Father  knows  best. 

But  this  is  not  the  first  instance  where  a  life  that  was 
l)rief,  but  full  of  glorious  promise,  has  brought  inestimable 
blessings  to  the  church.  The  influence  of  such  lives  are 
not  measured  by  days  and  years,  or  material  results.  The 
public  ministry  of  Jesus  was  ended  in  three  brief  years. 
The  zeal  of  Martyn  and  Brainerd  wore  out  their  frail 
bodies  in  a  few  years,  but  when  will  their  influence  perish? 
There  are  some  blades  so  keen-edged  that  they  soon  cut 
through  the  sheath. 

After  all  there  is  a  sad  side  to  the  thought  of  living  till 
one's  work  is  done.  Whatever  is  incomjyleie  is  of  course 
but  partial,  and  the  ineom])lete  has  always  uku'C  in  it  by 
its  possibilities  and  its  suggestions  than  the  finished  has  by 
its  actualities.  As  a  rule  those  whose  work  is  best  and 
longest  in  the  world,  are  those  Avho  were  cut  off'  with  their 
work  unfinished — what  they  did  do  was  so  full  of  sugges- 
tions and  expectations  of  what  they  were  to  do,  that  their 
glorified  memory  remains  an  example  and  an  inspiration 
beyond  all  that  their  completed  work  could  have  been 
"  It  is  the  broken  c(^lumn,  rather  than  the  capj)ed  one  that 
marks  the  grave  of  him  whose  life  is  still  a  power  in  the 
world." 

It  only  remains  for  me  to  give  a  brief  summary  of  Mrs. 
GiflTen's  character  and  work,  as  a  woman,  wife,  mother  and 
missionary. 

Those  who  have  read  these  pages  attentively  will  have 
seen  that  she  was  distinguished  for  an  intellect  strong,  com- 
prehensive and  piercing,  almost  masculine  in  its  robustness  ; 


284  LIFE   AND   LETTERS    OF 

yet  she  was  never  uufeininiue.  To  this  vigorous  and  acute 
intellect  she  added  all  the  tender  and  attractive  graces  of 
a  pure  and  refined  woman.  Her  mind  was  full  and  well 
rounded — developed  in  every  direction,  and  symmetrical  in 
every  part,  enabling  her  to  excel  in  whatever  she  under- 
took. It  was  so  thoroughly  under  the  control  of  her  will 
that  she  could  fix  it  on  any  given  subject  and  hold  it  there 
for  any  desired  period,  and  to  the  exclusion  of  other 
thoughts  and  subjects.  This  habit,  gained  early  in  life 
proved  of  great  value,  enabling  her  to  concentrate  every 
energy  upon  the  work  just  in  hand,  and  ensuring  speedy 
and  thorough  work. 

She  seemed  to  read  character  by  intuitioii,  whether  in 
in  man  or  woman.  Her  first  judgment  of  one's  character 
rarely  needed  revision.  Her  warning,  often  given  the 
writer,  "  beware  of  such  a  one,"  generally  needed  only  time 
to  vindicate  its  correctness.  By  the  same  faculty  she  W'as 
enabled  to  discover  those  whose  qualities  fitted  them  to 
become  the  truest  and  highest  type  of  a  friend — and  of 
this  latter  class  she  could  count  very  numy. 

That  she  was  a  very  close  ob-ierver  is  manifest  in  her 
varied  correspondence.  Whatever  claimed  her  attention 
Avas  grasped  even  in  its  minutest  details,  and  when  her  pen 
was  taken  up  for  its  description,  every  liuament  and  fea- 
ture stood  forth  as  faithfully  and  vividly  as  on  the  painter's 
canvas.  In  this  faculty  lay  one  of  the  elements  of  her 
poAver  as  a  writer. 

In  power  of  xdll  and  high  resolve  she  was  very  superior. 
Of  this  trait  of  her  character  an  abler  pen  has  said  :  "Dif- 
ficulties which  would  have  appeared  insuperable,  even  to 
adventurous  man  vanished  before  her  unconquerable  reso- 
lution. She  was  ready  for  every  emergency,  and  she 
allowed  no  disappointment  to  check  her  ardor,  or  quench 


MKS.    MARY    OAI.T.OWAV    CTrPKX.  285 

her  zeal.  Her  whole  life  reveals  this  element  of  her 
character.  Whether  she  is  solving  some  problem  in  math- 
ematics, or  traveling  in  the  wilds  of  Texas,  or  mastering 
the  forms  of  idioms  of  the  Arabic,  there  is  the  same  deter- 
termination  never  to  yield." 

There  must  be  fJioroiu/Jnie.^.f  in  all  that  she  did,  if  it 
could  approximate  her  standard.  Half-work  and  half-way 
measures  found  no  hivor  at  her  hands.  Of  that  monstrous 
lanafuace — the  Arabic — "  a  steei)  and  hiiih  mountain,"  and 
one  rarely  climbed  by  a  woman,  she  said,  "  I  am  determined 
to  o-et  it  with  the  beM  of  f/w  men.''  AVhere  there  was  such  a 
will  there  was  a  way. 

Her  speech  and  actions  were  the  very  embodiment  of 
frajihtess  and  cfoidor.  Direct  and  transparent  in  all  ln-r 
motives  and  aims,  deception  and  evasion  constituted  no 
pai't  of  the  means  chosen  by  her  to  gain  an  end.  Double- 
dealing  and  deceit  in  othei-s,  she  heartily  despised.  To 
what  was  low  or  even  ([uestionable  in  its  tendency,  she 
never  stooped.  Hence  her  standard  of  a  man  or  woman 
was  very  exalted — so  exalted  that  few  ever  attained  it, — 
yet  that  standard  she  ever  tried  to  attain. 

Her  temperament  was  ardent  and  hopeful,  and  at  times 
almost  sanguine.  This  disposition  served  as  a  buoy,  even 
in  the  most  depressing  circumstances.  The  hope  of  ulti- 
mate success  was  ever  strong  within  her,  and  the  anticipa- 
tion of  coming  hapi)iness  took  away  the  sting  of  present 
grief  and  failure.  The  motto  of  her  life  might  well  have 
been  "trust  in  (irod  and  hope  for  the  future." 

To  one  thus  variously  gifted,  it  would  only  l)e  natural  to 
expect  that  her  feelings  and  emotions  would  be  quick,  vivid 
and  powerful :  nor  are  we  disappointed.  If  she  ever  hated 
any  one  her  friends  never  knew  it.  But  of  the  existence 
and  power  of  every  other  feeling  and  emotion  which  noble 


286  LIFE    AND    LETTI7RS   OF 

natures   may  have,  there  was  abimdaiit  and  ahnost  daily 
evidence. 

She  was  generous  and  large-hearted  almost  to  a  fault.  To 
be  doing  some  kind  act  for  another,  seemed  to  be  a  necessity 
of  her  being,  and  her  Avarm  and  affectionate  nature  was 
shown  in  the  many  ways  she  tried  to  make  others  comfort- 
able and  happy,  and  she  seemed  able  to  create  ways 
in  which  to  accomplish  this.  She  lived  for  others:  of  her- 
self she  thought  little  and  spoke  less.  There  Avere  few 
things  which  she  possessed  that  were  too  valuable  or  too 
precious  to  be  withheld  from  a  friend.  If  she  enjoyed  a 
rare  privilege  and  it  could  be  shared  with  a  friend,  the 
pleasure  was  doubled.  When  she  was  crossing  the  Conti- 
nent, and  was  permitted  to  visit  the  famous  galleries  and 
museums  of  London  and  Paris,  to  see  the  ruins  of  the  Col- 
liseum  and  the  priceless  treasures  of  the  Viftican  in  Rome, 
she  says,  "  It  hurt  me  so,  that  none  of  you  could  see  them 
all  with  us,  so  I  bi-ought  some  pictures  that  you  might 
gain  some  faint  idea  of  what  the  real  sio-ht  Avas." 

But  it  Avas  Avhen  these  feelings  and  sympathies  Avere 
turned  upon  the  members  of  her  oAvn  finnily,  that  they 
found  their  freest  scope  and  most  intense  activity.  For 
their  comfort  and  happiness  all  the  resources  of  hand  and 
brain  Avere  exhausted.  She  Avas  never  too  busy,  or  too  tired 
to  sit  doAvn  by  brother  or  sister,  and  help  their  little  puz- 
zled brain  and  unraA'el  some— to  them— great  difficulty  ; 
and  not  of  constraint,  but  Avillingly,  and  in  such  a  sisterly 
Avay  that  remaining  difficulties  seemed  half  lessened.  In 
every  Avay,  nameless  here,  because  innumerable,  her  pure 
and  single-minded  devotion  manifested  itself,  until  her 
loA-e  for  them  had  kindled  in  them  an  affection  inferior 
only  to  her  own.  As  the  heart  of  the  Jew  turned  to  Jeru- 
salem. "  If  I  forget  thee,  O  !  Jerusalem,  let  my  right  hand 
forget  her  cunning.     If  I  do  not  remember  thee,  let  mv 


MRS.    MARY   GALLOWAY    OTFFLX.  28  7 

tongue  cleave  to  the  roof  of  my  mouth."  So  turned  her 
heart  to  her  fathei-'s  house,  and  when  the  hour  of  parting 
came  she  said,  "  I  experienced  what  it  was  to  die."  Few 
brothers  ever  had  such  a  sister,  and  few  parents,  a  more 
h)ving  and  affectionate  child.  After  the  law  of  the  Ciod, 
their  wishes  were  the  guide  of  her  life. 

The  Writer  would  be  unjust  to  the  memory  of  a  devoted 
sister,  and  false  to  his  own  feelings,  if  he  did  not  here  put 
on  record  his  oAvn  obligations  to  Mrs.  Giffen.  Not  many 
months  before  her  death  he  wi-ote  to  her  in  these  words : 
"  I  do  not  know  how  long  you  or  I  may  live,  but  before 
the  end  comes,  I  wish  to  tell  yon  something  of  how  much 
I  owe  to  you.  1  know  that  father  and  mother  did  all  for 
me  that  parents  could  do  for  any  child.  But  I  now  feel 
that  if  I  ever  succeed  in  life,  or  do  any  thing  in  life,  either 
for  myself  or  others,  that  I  owe  much  of  it  to  your  efforts 
and  your  inspiration.     I  want  to  thank  you  for  it." 

To  all  this  she  simply  answered,  "  If  I  was  ever  of  service 
to  you,  you  may  be  sure  it  was  a  willing  and  loving  ser- 
vice,— and  that  was  all.  But  he  is  glad  that  the  ac- 
knowledgment was  made  while  she  was  on  this  bank  of  the 
river  and  could  make  answer. 

Doubtless  the  happiest  period  of  j\Irs.  Giffen's  life  was 
the  five  and  a  half  years  of  her  married  life.  The  love  of 
a  husband,  whom  she  honored  and  revered,  and  the  sweet 
prattle  of  her  own  children,  filled  up  every  vacant  niche 
in  her  great  affection,  and  completed  the  sum  of  earthly 
happiness.  A  few  months  before  her  death,  when  she  was 
teaching  in  the  girls'  school,  and  superintending  two  day 
schools,  she  said,  "  I  am  never  so  happy  as  when  after  a 
day's  hard  work  and  I  am  on  my  donkey  going  home  to 
as  good  a  kind  husband  and  loving  little  children  as  I 
have,  even  if  it  is  a  poor  sliabby  home  I  have  to  go  to." 

How  well  she  filled  the  position  of  wife  and  mother  will 


288  LIFE   AND    LETTERS   OF 

be  seen  from  this  extract  i'roin  a  jirivate  letter  of  Mr.  Gif- 
fen's :  "No  one  could  read  lier  letters  without  knowing 
that  she  was  giving  her  wliole  soul  to  her  duties ;  that  she 
was  as  loving  and  devoted  a  wife  and  mother  as  it  was 
possible  for  a  woman  to  be  ;  that  she  was  self-denying,  en- 
tirely forgetful  of  personal  comfort  in  trying  to  comfort 
and  help  others.  tShe  never  had  a  fear  for  herself.  Her 
care  was  alwavs  for  me  and  the  darlinn'  children.  How 
she  worked  and  prayed  for  us.  It  seems  hard  that  the  lit- 
tle ones,  dearer  to  her  than  life,  can  never  know  what  an 
unbounded  wealth  of  affection  has  been  taken  away  from 
them.  A  truer  woman  never  loved  a  man  ;  few  are  capa- 
ble of  loving  like  she  did  ;  fcAv  are  ca])able  of  helping  like 
she  helped.  She  had  become  my  ideal  of  a  woman  before 
we  were  mai-ried  ;  but  the  longer  we  were  together  the 
more  of  her  true  worth  did  I  feel." 

"As  you  say,  I  always  had  a  feeling  of  safetij  when  in 
her  presence.  She  was  one  in  \\honi  I  could  repose  all 
confidence.  When  I  was  doing  what  she  approved,  I  felt 
that  I  was  acting  a  prudent  ])art.  When  I  would  be  cast 
down  and  everything  seemed  to  have  its  dark  side  turned 
toward  me,  she  was  the  one  to  cheer  me  up,  and  that  with- 
out appearing  to  try  to  do  so.  We  both  seemed  to  feel 
that  so  long  as  Ave  had  each  other,  we  had  enough  with 
which  to  be  satisfied,  so  far  as  this  world  is  concerned.  I 
never  before  so  nearly  felt  that  the  sliortness  of  life  was  a 
thing  for  which  to  be  thankful." 

Her  children,  like  herself,  had  most  aftectionate  dispo- 
sitions, and  in  their  measure  returned  their  mother's  devo- 
tion. Bruce,  a  child  of  three,  and  a  half  years  at  his 
mother's  death,  often  lavished  his  kisses  and  caresses  on 
his  mamma  in  an  extravagant  way.  Whenever  he  en- 
tered the  room  in  which  she  was,  he  Wduld  run  to  her  and 


MRS.    MARY    fJALLOWAY    CITFFF.N.  289 

place  his  hands  about  her  neck  and  say,  "Manuiia,  T  love 
you,  do  you  love  me  ?"  over  and  again. 

In  the  last  attack  of  ophtlialniia,  through  which  she 
nursed  him,  he  lay  for  days  in  a  darkened  room,  and  per- 
fectly blind,  his  mother  sitting  by  him.  He  could  not  see 
her,  but  he  could  talk  to  her,  and  twenty  times  a  day  he 
would  say,  "Mamma,  I  love  yon,"  as  if  he  so  longed  to 
hear  the  response,  "Yes,  my  child,  I  love  yon." 

When  she  started  to  Cairo  on  her  last  journey,  Bruce 
was  left  behind,  and  did  not  know  fjr  three  weeks  that  his 
dear  mother  would  never  caress  him  again.  Once  in  a  few 
days  after  his  father's  retui-n,  he  sat  very  still  for  some 
minutes,  and  then  turned  to  his  father  with  the  heart-rend- 
ing question,  "Papa,  where  /••<  mamma?"  He  answered 
that  "  the  Lord  had  taken  her  to  a  nice  home  He  had  made 
for  her,"  "  I  go  see  her  some  day  ?  "  "  Yes,  if  you  are  a  good 
boy,"  and  Mr.  Giffen  adds,  "  I  hope  to  be  able  to  teach  him, 
in  a  practical  way,  before  I  leave  Egypt,  what  death  and 
heaven  mean,  and  what  that  lone  grave  by  the  river  is.' 

It  is  a  connuonly  received  ojiinion,  and  one  often  founded 
on  fact,  that  a  woman  of  high  literary  abilities  and  tastes, 
is  apt  to  be  so  engrossed  in  such  pursuits,  that  the  ordinary 
prosaic  duties  and  drudgeries  of  domestic  life  are  neg- 
lected. But  M]-s.  Giffen  was  as  distinguished  for  "  sound 
common  sense,"  as  for,  perhaps,  anything  else.  When  the 
engrossing  cares  and  duties  of  mission  labor  were  not 
pressing,  her  time  and  energy  were  devoted  to  her  house- 
hold affairs.  These  were  carefully  superintended,  and  in 
all  details  managed  with  economy  and  energy.  Her  early 
training  had  given  her  a  thorough  knowledge  of  domestic 
economy,  and  "  she  looked  well  to  the  ways  of  her  house." 
She  was  a  most  accomplished  needle-woman,  and  there 
was  no  article  of  dress,  either  for  herself,  her  husband  or 
children  which  she  did  not  or  could  not  manufacture.  But 


290  LIFE   AND    LETTERS   OF 

at  the  same  time  it  must  be  understood  that  she  regarded 
misalon  work  in  all  its  branches  as  the  supreme  duty  of  her 
life,  and  to  this  all  other  things  were  made  subservient — 
even  the  duty  she  owed  to  her  Inisband  and  children  being 
no  exception. 

In  mission  circles  in  Egypt,  her  industry  and  worth 
seemed  to  have  been  fully  appreciated.  Dr.  Hogg,  one  of 
her  associate  missionaries,  and  of  whom  she  often  wrote,  thus 
speaks  of  the  high  promise  which  she  gave  of  her  future 
usefulness :  "  From  what  I  saw  of  Mrs.  GifFen  and  her 
work,  first  during  the  two  months  that  I  had  the  pleasure 
of  assisting  her  in  her  first  lessons  in  Arabic,  and  after- 
wards during  four  years  of  associated  labor  at  the  same 
station,  it  is  my  earnest  conviction  that  had  her  life  been 
prolonged  and  leisure  been  granted  her  in  the  midst  of  her 
increasing  family  cares,  to  devote  herself  in  the  future — as 
in  the  past — to  the  work  so  dear  to  her  heart,  the  record 
of  her  life-work  would  have  had  few  to  match  it  in  the 
history  of  modern  missions." 

"  Her  heart  was  in  her  work  and  she  gave  herself  wholly 
to  it.  Prostrated  from  an  excruciating  headache,  as  she 
often  was  after  an  exciting  and  protracted  mental  eftbrt  or 
stram,  she  must  be  up  and  at  work  as  soon  as  the  crisis 
was  over.  By  an  act  of  self-determination  she  seemed  to 
be  able  to  shake  ott'  all  languor  and  exhaustion,  and  resume 
her  full  quota  of  work,  from  the  first  day  of  her  eonvales- 
ence.  Not  only  did  she  forget  herself  in  the  ardor  of  her 
zeal,  but  sometimes  she  seemed  to  forget  those  who  were 
dearer  than  self.  Loving  her  children  with  a  doting  affection, 
yet  the  cases  were  very  rare  in  which  she  allowed  the  sick- 
ness of  a  child  to  interfere  with  her  daily  work  in  the  school." 

"  She  was  prepared  for  useful  and  efficient  service  in  al- 
most any  department  of  missionary  work. 

To  instruct  a  native  audience,  one  must  not  only  know 


MRS.    MARY   GALLOWAY   OIFFEN.  291 

their  language,  but  ako  their  mode  of  thiuking.  Unless 
you  are  able  to  take  their  standpoint,  and  look  at  the 
subject  through  their  eyes,  you  will  fail  to  throw  much 
light  on  it  although  your  remarks  may  be  made  in  the  pur- 
est Arabic. 

Mrs.  Giffen  seemed  to  me,  to  be  gifted  with  a  special  aj)- 
titude  for  putting  herself  e»  rapjiort  ^v'lth  a  native  audience. 
Her  nature  was  sympathetic,  and  her  power  of  percejjtion 
was  such  that  she  seemed  to  guess  at  the  tenor  and  color 
of  your  thoughts  by  a  kind  of  intuition." 

"  She  not  only  loved  mission  work,  but  by  dint  of  intense 
application  became  qualified  for  taking  a  leading  part  in 
it.  She  also  had  very  enlightened  ideas  of  mission  policy, 
and  above  all,  was  possessed  of  a  strong  faith  in  the  ulti- 
mate success  of  missions  in  the  world.  Like  most  mission- 
aries, who  have  been  blessed  with  success  in  their  eflJbrts  to 
extend  the  kingdom  of  Christ  on  earth,  she  based  her  con- 
fidence of  the  ultimate  success  of  the  cause,  on  the  fact 
that  this  is  the  very  thing  which  God  the  Father  pledged, 
when  He  exalted  His  Son  in  human  form  to  His  own  risrht 
hand.  "  I  will  give  Thee  the  heathen  for  thine  inheritance, 
and  the  uttermost  parts  of  the  earth  for  thy  possession." 
Believing  this  your  sister  exjiecied  success  in  her  labors  in 
this  land." 

When  the  church,  here  in  America,  sent  Mrs.  Giffen 
forth — its  first  messenger  to  the  heathen  world — it  had 
high  hopes  centered  in  her  and  her  work.  It  felt  that  it 
had  no  worthier  daughter  to  send  upon  this  mission,  and 
that  in  giving  her,  it  had  offered  its  choicest  treasure,  and 
this  feeling  continued,  without  abatement,  to  the  end. 

Prof.  E.  L.  Patton,  in  a  recent  missionary  address,  thus 
voices  this  universal  sentiment :  "  It  was  the  remark  of 
a  distinguished  Carolinian,  that  if  the  South  Carolina  Col- 
lege had  done  nothing  more  than  educate  one  such  man  as 


292  LIFE   AND    LETTERS   OP 

George  McDuffie,  the  State  would  have  been  amply  repaid 
for  every  dollar  expended  in  establishing  and  maintaining 
that  institution.  And  I  do  not  hesitate  to  say  that  if  the 
Due  West  Female  College  had  sent  forth  from  her  walls 
only  one  such  woman  as  IMiss  Mary  E.  Galloway,  this  insti- 
tution would  have  been  entitled  to  the  lasting  gratitude  ol' 
the  Associate  Reform  Church,  in  the  South,  of  which  she 
was  the  pioneer  missionary  in  the  foreign  field. — 'Dux 
femmafacfl.'  " 

AVhile  we  are  tilled  with  keen  regrets,  when  we  think  of 
the  sjilendid  possibilities  which  Mrs.  Gifien's  future  seemed 
to  warrant,  still  the  review  of  her  life  shows  us  much  for 
which  we  can  thank  God,  and  take  courage.  We  see  in 
her  case  a  signal  proof  of  the  fact,  that  "  the  stuff  of  which 
martyrs  are  made"  is  still  in  the  church. 

To  those  who  appreciate  unselfish  devotion,  high  moral 
heroism  and  the  consecration  of  eminent  gifts  to  the  cause 
of  God  and  humanity,  her  name  and  memory  will  ever  be 
precious.  Her  character  and  example  will  ever  serve  as  a 
model  for  the  woman  who  would  cast  her  life  in  a  high 
and  heroic  mould. 

Her  husband  is  still  left  the  memory  of  a  true  and  loving 
wife,  her  children  the  legacy  of  a  Christian  mother's  pray- 
ers, and  the  church  the  inspiration  and  power  of  a  noble 
self-sacrificing  life. 

For  her  own  sake — however  sharp  the  pang  to  the 
living — we  would  not  grieve.  For  hath  not  the  Master 
said,  "Every  one  that  hath  forsaken  houses,  or  brethren, 
or  sisters,  or  father,  or  mother,  or  wife,  or  children,  cr 
lands  for  my  name's  sake,  shall  receive  a  hundred  fold,  and 
shall  inherit  everlasting  life."  If  God  fuUfillshis  promises, 
then  surely  hers  will  be  no  mean  crown. 

THE    END. 


MRS.    MARY   GALLOWAY   GIFFEX.  298 


S  O  N  N  E  T  IS. 


A  TRIBUTE  TO  TIIK  MEMORY  OF  MRS.  MARY  G.  GIFFEK,  THE  PIOXEER 
MISSIONARY   OF   THE   ASSOCIATE   REFORMED  PRESBY- 
TERIAN CHVRCH  IN  THE  SOUTH. 


Dux  feiiiiiia  facti. 


Virrjil. 


Chi  vuol  veder  qiiantunque  pud  natura 
E'l  ciel  tra  noi,  venga  a  niirar  custei. 


-retrmch. 


Hearken,  O  daughter,  and  consider,  and  incline  tiiine  ear;  forget 
alfro  thine  own  peojde,  and  thy  fatlier's  liou^e. 

—r.^alm  45:  10. 


I. 

Another  name  is  added  to  tiie  roll 

Of  noble  women,  who  with  faith  suliiinie 

A  fatlier's  house  forget  in  sonic  strange  clime 

Beyond  the  sea,  and  with  undaunted  soul 
Explore  the  trackless  waste,  or  forest  drear, 

Bearding  the  Hon  in  his  very  den, 

Or  tiger  tierce,  or  still  more  savage  men. 
To  bring  the  tidings  of  salvation  near  : 

Though  weak,  yet  strong,  a  glorious  sisterhood. 
In  body  weak,  but  strong  in  faith,  and  love, 
And  bright-eyed  hope  ;   as  when  the  tiuKirous  deve. 

Back  to  the  ark,  across  the  rolling  tlood, 
Sped  like  an  eagle  hastening  to  the  prey, 

As  in  her  mouth  she  bore  the  (dive  leaf  awav. 


294  LIFE    AND    LETTERS. 


II. 


X(it  (lead,  Init  sleeping  !  and  thy  silent  power 
Tlie  world  shall  own,  when  yonder  stately  pile, 
Which  towers  in  solenm  grandenr  o'er  the  Nile, 

Shall  vanish  like  the  pageant  of  an  hour  ; 
When  she,  whose  beauty  dazzled  every  eye. 

And  lured  the  haughty  Roman  to  his  fate, 

A  willing  victim,  robbed  of  all  her  state, 
Shall  unlaniented  and  forgotten  lie  :-^ 

Then  take  thy  rest,  our  honored  pi(meer, 
All  undisturbed  amid  llie  deafening  roar 
Of  hostile  guns  that  shake  the  neighboring  shore, 

And  blanch  the  cheek  of  swarthy  Copt  with  fear ; 
For  thou  must  sleep  until  (he  Bridegroom  come, 

And  ojien  wide  for  thee  thine  everlasting  liome ! 

E.  L.  p. 
Jubj  24,  1882. 

*  Cleopatra,  queen  of  Egypt. 


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